SOUTH CAICOS - The School for Field Studies’ instructors taught the rudiments of Sargassum to 24 locals from nine Caribbean territories.
School for Field Studies research fellow, Dr. Franziska Elmer and Evelyn Salas (MSc) designed and hosted a four-week online course on Sargassum that turned novices into experts. The course was supported by RESEMBID, funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France.
It was free for the 24 participants from Anguilla, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Saba, St. Maarten and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Sargassum influx has been a serious problem in the Caribbean region since the formation of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt in 2011. The mass inundations do not only threaten nature and public health, but also the local economy, fisheries and tourism. People from all walks of life are looking for solutions to better manage Sargassum on their island and turn this nuisance algae into an opportunity.
“We had more than 40 people interested in taking the course, which shows that there is a big interest on the islands to learn more about Sargassum. All our course participants are eager to help their island better manage Sargassum influxes.” said Dr. Franziska Elmer, initiator, and co-designer of the course.
The course consists of 12 expert videos that are freely available on youtube here. These videos explain how the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt was formed, how Sargassum arrival can be predicted and how Sargassum can be transformed into useful by-products.
The heart of the course were the weekly gatherings on Zoom. In these two hour sessions the students shared what they discovered visiting local beaches and talking to locals on their island about Sargassum.
“Our students put an immense effort into the course. The weekly sessions where they shared what they learned about their own island were my weekly highlights. I have been working on finding solutions for the Sargassum problem since 2018 and I even learned a lot during these sessions: I cannot wait for our students to take what they learned and educate others in their community,” continues Franziska Elmer.
Evelyn Salas, MSc adds “We designed this course so that it is a multiplier. We want our students to feel confident and ready to educate others about Sargassum and become a leader that helps their community manager Sargassum better.”
The Sargassum champions course students are ready to take on their post as local Sargassum champions. If you live in any of the above-mentioned territories and want to learn more about Sargassum, then contact us and we will put you in touch with your local champions.
The Sargassum champions course was designed by School for Field Studies and the Sargassum podcast. The School for Field Studies is the United States' largest environmental study abroad program provider for undergraduate college students, offering fully accredited semester- and summer-long academic programs in over 10 countries around the world.
The Sargassum podcast is hosted by Sargassum experts that aims to cure marine science blindness by providing listeners with an in-depth look into how sargassum impacts local communities, coastal biomes, and the world at large – and how we can harvest it to build a diversified blue economy. Episodes can be found on https://www.podpage.com/the-sargassum-podcast/
RESEMBID is a 48-project program funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France - the development cooperation agency of the Government of France and supports sustainable human development efforts in 12 Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) - Aruba, Anguilla, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Montserrat, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Saint Barthélemy, Sint Maarten and Turks and Caicos.