Community Management of Seamoss

This project is designed to assist the north coast community of Blanchisseuse, Trinidad and Tobago to gather sufficient information to develop a management strategy for the harvest of Gelidium serrulatum, a rare species of seamoss found growing in the rough and rocky waters just off the coast. The purpose of the project is to ensure long-term sustainability of the use of the resource through improved management, as the harvest is of cultural, social and economic importance to the community and has potential to generate long-term economic benefits to Blanchisseuse.

In fact, the harvesting and marketing of various species of seamoss for human consumption is an economic activity that benefits several coastal communities in Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the Caribbean.

This two-year project, launched in July 2005 under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) is a collaborative effort between the Blanchisseuse Environmental Art Trust (BEAT), the Blanchisseuse community, the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), the Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) and the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Members of BEAT, a local community-based organisation, and members of the wider Blanchisseuse community observed in recent years that stocks of Gelidium in the Blanchisseuse area were on the decline and sought assistance from CANARI to address the situation. Since Gelidium is important to the community as an exploited species, BEAT felt that it was necessary to learn more about the resource.

This project, or Phase II, builds on the results of an initial Phase I conducted in 2002 during which baseline information was gathered from community members and harvesters on the availability, quality and demand for seamoss as well as its importance to the community. Results indicated that the harvesting, processing, sale and use of Gelidium contributed to community livelihoods. Click here for a summary of the survey findings.

Gelidium serrulatum is unusual for two reasons. Firstly, it is not found anywhere else in the West Indies and there have been no studies or documentation of its harvest and use in Trinidad and Tobago. Secondly, recent work has shown that it yields the highest quality of agar extract of any commercial species in the region. Agar is the carbohydrate produced by seamoss that when dissolved in hot water, thickens or forms a gel when cooled.

The limited distribution and superior quality of this species make it particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation. The species located in Blanchisseuse is found only on exposed rocky coastlines where farming is not possible. The only option for sustainability is the management of the harvest of the natural stocks. This approach has been taken with the harvest of other commercially valuable species of Gelidium, for example in South Africa and Portugal.

Scientific: identification of appropriate harvest methods determined by growth and reproductive rates and agar quality at each growth stage.

Social: identification and analysis of the issues of community property, ownership and access rights that may need to be addressed in the establishment of a management regime for this common property resource.

Education and awareness: development of educational materials and theatre and art productions in support of a campaign to increase public awareness of the importance of the seamoss resource and the options for sustainable use and enhanced economic returns.

Phase I determined the scale of harvest at Blanchisseuse and its importance to the Blanchisseuse community. Phase II will use scientific information and indigenous knowledge to inform a programme of community awareness and education on the sustainable use of seamoss leading to initiatives that would promote sustainable enterprise development in the community. This will involve:

· Mobilisation and facilitation of community participation through public meetings and workshops.

· Mapping the distribution of seamoss and harvesting areas and incorporating all information in a simple Geographical Information System to assist project management and outputs, as well as the dissemination of information.

· Conducting experiments over 18 months to assess the effects of different harvesting methods on regrowth of seamoss and productivity of harvested versus unharvested areas, following standard research methods.

· Collection of information from resource users on their relationship to the resource and to each other; changing perceptions about the resource and attitudes to common property, tensions or conflicts that may have arisen over the use of and access to the resource and their potential resolution.

· Education and advocacy support programmes that create a heightened awareness of the opportunities and benefits in the sustainable harvesting of seamoss and the way it can contribute to community enterprise development. Education of participants in marine and coastal issues as they pertain to the project will be conveyed through art, drama and written publication in English and Patois.

· Creative forums that will also allow Blanchisseuse residents to air their environmental concerns, how these affect their community and what they are doing about it.

· Hosting of community meetings to share results and discuss their implications, and develop a harvesting strategy and management plan.

The harvesting strategy and management plan produced with the community will provide a guiding framework and contribute towards achieving the primary outcome of the project - long-term economic benefits to the Blanchisseuse community through improved management and sustainable use of the seamoss resource.

The processes engaged in during the project will have built community capacity and will produce important secondary outcomes of the project.

· Increased capacity for stakeholder participation in decision-making about natural resource management;

· The establishment of BEAT as a credible and visible community-based organization, not only in Blanchisseuse but throughout the country.

It is envisaged that a subsequent follow-up project focussing on the promotion of better management practices and the expansion of economic activities would be extended to other communities that harvest the species on the north coast of Trinidad.