Global Seaweed Network
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Global Seaweed Network A GLOBAL SEAWEED STRATEGY by Juliet Brodie and Members of the Global Seaweed Strategy Workshop June 2010 Natural History Museum 2 CONTENTS 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………………………. 5 2.0 VISION………………………………………………………………………………… 5 3.0 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………5 4.0 THE WORKSHOP…………………………………………………………………….. 6 5.0 OUTCOMES…………………………………………………………………………....6 6.0 MAJOR TOPICS………………………………………………………………………. 7 1. IDENTIFICATION, TAXONOMY AND PHYLOGENY……………………... 7 Needs identified……………………………………………………………. 7 Strengths and weaknesses………………………………………………….. 8 Projects……………………………………………………………………... 8 2. AQUACULTURE AND PRODUCTS…………………………………………...10 Needs identified……………………………………………………………. 10 Strengths and weaknesses…………………………………………………. 11 Projects…………………………………………………………………….. 11 3. COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH……………………………………… 13 Needs identified……………………………………………………………. 13 Strengths and weaknesses………………………………………………….. 13 Projects……………………………………………………………………... 14 4. ETHNOPHYCOLOGY…………………………………………………………..15 Needs identified……………………………………………………………. 15 Strengths and weaknesses………………………………………………….. 15 Projects……………………………………………………………………... 15 5. BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION……………………………………...16 Needs identified……………………………………………………………. 16 Strengths and weaknesses………………………………………………….. 17 Projects……………………………………………………………………... 17 6. ECONOMICS AND SOCIETY………………………………………………… 18 3 Needs identified……………………………………………………………. 18 Strengths and weaknesses………………………………………………….. 18 Projects……………………………………………………………………... 18 7. INTEGRATION AND POLICY………………………………………………... 19 Needs identified……………………………………………………………. 19 Strengths and weaknesses………………………………………………….. 19 Projects……………………………………………………………………... 19 7.0 THE WAY FORWARD……………………………………………………………….. 20 8.0 POSSIBLE SOURCES OF FUNDING………………………………………………... 20 9.0 SUMMARY OF PROJECTS…...................................................................................... 22 10.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………….. 23 TABLE Table 1. Summary of Projects…………………………………………………………….. 22 4 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Seaweeds (red, brown and green algae) are globally important sources of food, industrial materials and potentially other valuable products such as biofuels and biomedical compounds. It is estimated that there are c. 10,000 species of seaweed in the world of which there are thought to be between 400 and 500 that are commercially important. Demand for taxonomic knowledge and reliable identification is increasing but work is ongoing to resolve seaweed taxonomy and to understand seaweed distribution and biodiversity. The Global Seaweed Network has been initiated to develop a programme that will respond to this demand for knowledge. Seven major topics have been identified: 1. Identification, taxonomy and phylogeny, 2. Aquaculture and products, 3. Communication and outreach, 4. Ethnophycology, 5. Biodiversity and conservation, 6. Economics and society, and 7. Integration and policy. Under each of these topics, short, medium and long-term projects have been identified. It is anticipated that over the next 5-10 years this project will enhance and develop the global seaweed community into an internationally recognized and respected scientific body that can innovate and provide knowledge and tools, enable economic progress and reach the wider public. 2.0 VISION To develop a programme which over the next 5-10 years will enhance and develop the global seaweed community into an internationally recognized and respected scientific body that can innovate, provide knowledge and tools for scientific research, aquaculture, conservation and society, influence policy makers and enable economic progress. 3.0 INTRODUCTION Seaweeds (red, brown and green algae) are important sources of food, industrial materials and, potentially, biofuels and biomedical compounds throughout the developed and developing worlds. Current estimates of species number are about 7000 reds, 2000 browns and 1000 greens; most utilizable biomass resides in a relatively small number of taxonomic families (including Areschougiaceae, Gigartinaceae, Gracilariaceae, Gelidiaceae, Bangiaceae and Laminariaceae). Numbers of commercially important species are estimated to be between 400 and 500 species but the exact number is unknown. Currently, the seaweed gums (carrageenans, agars and alginates) industry is worth in excess of US$1 billion (wholesale values) and is based on the aquaculture in developing countries (east Africa and south-east Asia, the Pacific Islands and China and South America) of red algae that are very poorly understood taxonomically. Food species (nori and kelps) are worth in excess of US$4 billion (mostly retail value), and again taxonomic knowledge of the main sources is very poor. There is an increasing demand from industry for more detailed taxonomic knowledge and reliable identification techniques of these species, particularly of clones and high-yield strains, but we are still in the process of understanding their biodiversity and resolving their taxonomy. There is a great need to share algal knowledge and to link data for industrially-used species from around the world. Databases, notably AlgaeBase and EOL, provide a potential framework for this work, but a global effort to make information available and to develop molecular barcoding techniques for the identification of utilizable seaweeds is urgently needed. 5 4.0 THE WORKSHOP Between the 10th and 13th January 2010, a workshop ‘Developing a Global Seaweed Strategy’, developed and organized by Juliet Brodie, was held at the Natural History Museum, London (NHM). The delegates were: Juliet Brodie (Natural History Museum), Mintewab Bezabih (University of Portsmouth), John Bolton (University of Cape Town), Michael Guiry (National University of Ireland, Galway), Leila Hayashi (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil), Line Le Gall (Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris) , Chris Maggs (Queen’s University, Belfast), Siew Moi Phang (University of Malaysia), Churl H. You (Pegasus International, Korea) and Hwan Su Yoon (Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, USA) and facilitated by Nichola Stallwood, Senior Organizational Development Consultant, NHM. The delegates represented seaweed biodiversity and taxonomy, phylogenetics, the seaweed industry, economics, DNA barcoding, conservation and web-based information (AlgaeBase). Countries/regions represented included Africa, USA, Brazil, SE Asia (Malaysia) Northern Europe (France, Ireland, UK). Unfortunately Flower Msuya (University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania) was not able to attend as she was unable to obtain a visa. Two other industrialists, Pete Bixler (Ingredients Solutions, Inc., USA) and Erick Ask (FMC Biopolymer, USA), were unable to attend due to cancellation of their flights from the USA owing to the exceptional weather in the UK at the time of the workshop. Flower Msuya, Pete Bixler and Erick Ask sent materials for the workshop. Alan Critchley (Acadian Sea Vegetables, Canada), who could not make the workshop, provided considerable input into the project development. 5.0 OUTCOMES 1. It was agreed that the group would be called the Global Seaweed Network. 2. The participants at the workshop should form the steering group. 3. The project would be formally launched in summer 2010. 4. Seven major topics that would form the basis of a Global Seaweed Strategy were identified: 1. Identification, taxonomy and phylogeny 2. Aquaculture and products 3. Communication and outreach 4. Ethnophycology 5. Biodiversity and conservation 6. Economics and society 7. Integration and policy This document outlines the needs, and if appropriate, strengths and weaknesses of each of these topics, and identifies a series of projects and project coordinators (Table 1). Projects are categorized as short term (6 months – 2 years), medium term (2-5 years) and long term (5-10 years). 5. Funding opportunities would be explored and sought. 6 6.0 MAJOR TOPICS 1. IDENTIFICATION, TAXONOMY AND PHYLOGENY Of the c. 10,000 species of red, brown and green seaweeds, it is estimated that c. 400-500 species are commercially important. To maximise the possibilities for these commercial species, it is crucial that there is an understanding of the taxonomy of these groups and how species can be identified. It is important to make the distinction between identification, taxonomy and phylogeny and the role each of these plays in the science of seaweeds. Identification relates to the ways in which species can be distinguished. Taxonomy is the classification of species and how they are related. It relies on identification as part of the process. Phylogeny explores evolutionary relationships and higher level classification. For thousands of years, identification of seaweeds has been based on morphology but in the last decade or so, molecular techniques have increasingly been used for identification, notably DNA barcoding where a short piece of DNA is used to distinguish between samples. These data have revealed much undiscovered diversity and are changing biodiversity concepts and patterns of distribution. Similarly, seaweed taxonomy has been based primarily on morphology but, it is now based largely on a molecular taxonomic approach. Phylogenetic analysis can provide potential evidence for species or clusters of species that may have potential for commercial exploitation. With whole genome data now becoming available many potential routes for phylogenomics are opening up. Whole genomes are currently being sequenced for the brown alga Ectocarpus and for the red algae