Puntacana Foundation leads initiative to turn sargassum into sustainable solutions

Punta Cana.- The Puntacana Foundation, together with the Inter-University Network for Sargassum Research (Sargard), hosted an inter-institutional meeting aimed at turning the growing sargassum problem into opportunities for innovation and sustainable development in the Dominican Republic.

At the event, seven applied research projects were unveiled with support from the Ministry of the Presidency through its Vice Ministry of International Cooperation. The initiatives focus on circular economy solutions, renewable energy, agriculture, predictive monitoring, and industrial uses of sargassum.

Organizers also highlighted the role of the Biomass & Sargassum Laboratory (BIO-S Lab), launched last year by the Puntacana Foundation with backing from the German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ) and GIZ, as a key platform for research and technological development related to sargassum.

The meeting brought together government officials and representatives from the Ministry of the Environment, European Union, and international cooperation agencies, underscoring broad national and international support for science-based solutions to the sargassum challenge.

Vice Minister Olaya Dotel stressed that sargassum affects vital sectors such as tourism, energy, and marine ecosystems, noting that addressing it requires coordinated efforts among government, academia, the private sector, and civil society. Meanwhile, Sargard representatives emphasized that the new projects are already moving into implementation, linking academic research with real-world needs.