National Forum Mexico – European Union: Turning Sargassum into an opportunity
On the 18th and 19th of July a Forum to advance the sargassum agenda and in Preparation to the Regional Forum on Sargassum in Granada, will take place in Cancún, Mexico. The Forum will consist of a conference program to integrate different actors and experts as well as to address current challenges through the establishment of three working groups. There will also be an exhibition floor where companies and researchers will be able to promote their solutions to tackle sargassum recollection and valorization.
Companies and organizations in the Kingdom of the Netherlands have developed different solutions for either the collection of sargassum at open sea, or the valorization of sargassum. Mexican stakeholders have reached out to the Department of Agriculture and Nature to mobilize them for this Forum. Are you interested in participating? See the contact details below.
Background information on the Sargassum Forum
The European Union Delegation in Mexico together with the Government of Quintana Roo, the Latin-American and Caribbean Development Bank and the Initiative The Seas We love, are organizing a two day Forum in Cancún, Mexico to discuss and advance the topic of Sargassum and its massive arrival in the Mexican Caribbean shores.
On the 18th the forum will consist of three different programs; Working Groups to address nine already identified challenges, a Company Roadshow to promote SargaTech companies and a workshop to advance the topic of cataloguing sargassum as a fishing resource.
The first part will consist of three working groups integrated of representatives of the public sector (the European Union and legislative, federal, state and municipal governments) and representatives of the private and non-governmental sectors (businesses, associations, environmentalists, etc.). The objective of these groups is to lead and put in place an action plan to address the critical situation the Mexican shore is going through. Nine challenges will be discussed throughout the event within the axes of governance & legal framework, research & technology and inversion & the Global Gateway initiative.
Companies Roadshow in SargaTech
At the forum there will also be a space for companies within the SargaTech sector to promote themselves and their solutions to tackle the recollection, contention and transportation challenges Sargassum posses at sea and once it gets stranded. As well as all the revalorization opportunities and application it can have once it has been processed such as bio-fuel, bio-gas, bio-fertilizers, electricity, construction, etc. Everything under a circular economy model.
Companies will get the chance to apply for one out of the twelve spaces in the exhibition floor. The spaces will be subsidize by the organization but only researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs and companies whose activities are considered among the scopes of the revalorization and use of sargassum may apply. The organization will reserve the right of admission for these and other companies not included in the above mentioned description.
Addressing the pressuring issues in the Mexican Caribbean
As the third part of the program on Thursday, a workshop is being organized by the Latin-American and Caribbean Development Bank and the Mexican Institute for Research in Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (IMIPAS) to catalog sargassum as a fishing resource under Mexican legislation. As well as the research projects that IMIPAS is carrying out on the subject. More information on the workshop will become available closer to the date.
On the 19th there will be different panels and round tables of experts sharing their knowledge with the objective of advancing the sargassum agenda. Through The topics that will be discussed are; strengthening institutions and international cooperation, the role of science and technology on its revalorization and integration in a circular economy model and the investment, financial sources, private and public alliances as well as the presentation of the Global Gateway program from the European Union.
Applications to be part of the SargaTech Roadshow will be open until the 1st of July. For more information of the process and to download the application sheet please see the attached document “Roadshow – Sargassum Forum 2024” below. In case of any questions you can reach out to the Agricultural Department at mex-lnv@minbuza.nl or the organization committee at at-dialogopolitico-uemx@groatec.com.