The Algarve Marine Observatory (OMA), coordinated by CCMAR – Algarve Marine Science Centre, is leading a regional movement that brings together science, public entities, companies and civil society to respond to the growing impact of invasive algae on the Algarve coastline. This phenomenon poses a threat to tourism, ecosystems and the local economy.
With tourism heavily dependent on the environmental quality of coastal areas, the proliferation of invasive species raises serious ecological, social and economic concerns. Aware of this reality, over the last two months, OMA has been organising a series of technical meetings bringing together researchers from CCMAR and GreenCoLab (Associação Oceano Verde) with strategic partners in the region, such as CCDR-Algarve, AHETA (Associação dos Hotéis e Empreendimentos Turísticos do Algarve), RTA (Algarve Tourism Region) and several Algarve municipalities.
This joint effort aims to outline a regional strategy to mitigate the impacts of invasive algae, supported by scientific knowledge and tailored to the needs of the territory. This concerted action aims to define a regional strategy to mitigate the impacts of invasive algae.
The working group is preparing to present a policy dossier on 25 September, National Sustainability Day, which will include:
• A proposal for an early warning system for the presence and proliferation of these species;
• A characterisation of the associated environmental, social and economic impacts;
• The exploration of solutions for the treatment, remediation and valorisation of biomass generated by invasive algae.
This integrated effort aims to combine scientific knowledge with the territory's response capacity, promoting sustainable and innovative solutions that guarantee the environmental and economic resilience of the Algarve region.
