DENR seeking sites for seaweed farming

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is seeking areas where local production of seaweed can either be started or increased, both as a livelihood measure for coastal communities and as an effective measure against the impacts of climate change. Research in recent years has found that many varieties of seaweed, including types that are commercially farmed in the Philippines and other countries, have unique characteristics that give them carbon sequestration abilities. DENR Secretary Gina Lopez told reporters and seaweed farming stakeholders in a roundtable discussion last week at the training center of the Biodiversity Management Bureau in Quezon City that the DENR has started identifying potential sites for seaweed farming in the country, with the help of other government agencies and local residents.