In this edition of the ECOP Wednesdays event series, hosted by the EMB Young Ambassadors and the EMB Secretariat for the EMB ECOP network, Beatriz Castelar will speak about "From Seaweed Science to Blue Innovation: Building Regenerative Aquaculture in the Mediterranean".
Beatriz Castelar will speak about the opportunities and challenges of developing sustainable and regenerative seaweed aquaculture in the Mediterranean.
Beatriz Castelar (PhD) is a phycologist working on Mediterranean seaweeds and their potential for sustainable aquaculture. Her research focuses on bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and practical cultivation, exploring how locally adapted seaweed species can be successfully cultivated at larger scales and under real-world environmental conditions. Her work has contributed to the development of RegenERA, a University of Genoa spin-off dedicated to developing innovative, locally adapted solutions for seaweed cultivation.
Seaweed farming is emerging as a promising opportunity to support a more sustainable and regenerative Mediterranean aquaculture sector. Seaweeds can provide a range of environmental and economic benefits, while contributing to the diversification of aquaculture systems and the development of a new Mediterranean blue economy. However, moving from laboratory-based research to reliable cultivation at larger scales presents significant biological, technological and environmental challenges.
This talk will explore the journey from scientific research on Mediterranean seaweeds to their cultivation in real-world conditions, highlighting the challenges encountered along the way and the solutions being developed to address them. It will also introduce the story behind RegenERA, showing how scientific research can move beyond the laboratory, translate into innovation and entrepreneurship, and contribute to the development of more sustainable and regenerative marine food systems in the Mediterranean.
You can register for the webinar here.