A research team from the University of Malaya, Malaysia, is developing climate-resilient seaweed strains in Semporna, Sabah under the GCBC-funded GlobalSeaweed SUPERSTAR project.
Eucheumatoids – a group of red seaweed species – account for over 90% of global production of carrageenan, a product widely used as a gelling, binding and thickening agent in various industries including food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Euchematoid output has declined in recent years due to the low genetic diversity of aging cultivars. This challenge is further intensified by climate change, which has led to a rise in pests and diseases.
The research aims to address this issue by developing new strains resistant to climate change, pests, and diseases. Wild eucheumatoids were collected from the Semporna waters (Sabah Province, north-east Borneo), under permission granted by the Sabah Biodiversity Centre. Specimens were hand-picked during snorkeling, selecting only large, healthy individuals.
As the size and morphology of the wild-collected eucheumatoids were smaller and less bushy compared to the commercial ones, the longline cultivation method, commonly used in commercial seaweed farming was not suitable for their on-growing. An innovative new net system therefore had to be developed as an alternative to the longline.
The new system was found to work most effectively based on a two-stage approach. Firstly, the newly collected eucheumatoids were on-grown in basket nets with a relatively small mesh size to prevent grazing by herbivorous fish and turtles. This was then followed after 40 days by a larger cage net system, which allowed greater water circulation, around the eucheumatoids once they had grown in size, but again deterred the grazers.
Transferring seedlings from basket net to cage net system (Pic: Nurulafifah Yahya)
The new two-stage netting system has successfully enabled not only the survival of wild-collected eucheumatoids, but their increase in size compared with the longline method. The growth rate of the wild-collected eucheumatoids is also comparable to commercially cultivated species, reaching a rate of 3.03 % day-1 when cultivated in the cage net over the typical 45-day cultivation period.
One downside of the system is that it does require frequent cleaning and maintenance, due to the netting becoming covered with biofouling which reduces the water flow. On the plus side, however, this new cultivation system has been so successful that the research team have now donated over 150 kg of wild-collected eucheumatoid seedlings to a local seaweed company for them to on-grow at their farm.
The farmers are also extremely interested in the larger cage design and the research team are working closely with the local stakeholders to further expand this innovative research in Malaysia.
The GCBC Opportunities Portal for Concept Note submissions for the Third Research Grant Competition (RGC3) CLOSED at 23:00 hrs UTC, on Sunday, 16 March, 2025. Any applications submitted after that time and date will not be accepted or considered for the full proposal stage.
The GCBC extends grateful thanks to all applicants who made submissions through the Opportunities Portal. We have been delighted with the responses to this grant call, particularly from the Global South.
Over the next few weeks we will be working through the applications, carrying out eligibility checks, technical evaluations, moderation and scientific meetings to establish the most suitable Concept Notes to take forward to the next round.
RGC3 Themes
The two research themes of this RGC3 are:
Theme 1: Using biodiversity to improve the climate resilience of agricultural, food and bioeconomy value chains – Transforming agrifood systems at scale to incorporate nature-based solutions that build biodiversity back into production landscapes to boost climate resilience and reduce poverty (open to all GCBC focus regions).
Theme 2: Biodiversity hotspots in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) – Building sustainable businesses from nature to adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity, and tackle poverty (focused in SIDS).
The GCBC, a UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme funded bythe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), aims to fund a mixed portfolio of up to twenty grants in RGC3, covering a range of topics and geographies across both themes. Grants sums of between £100,000 and £1 million are offered for projects of 12-36 months duration.
The GCBC will accept proposals for projects with activities in GCBC-eligible countries in Latin America (including Central America), the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South-east Asia and the Pacific and Small Island Developing States. A list of GCBC eligible countries is available here. To be accepted for funding under the GCBC programme projects must demonstrate:
Fit to GCBC: All proposals need to address poverty alleviation and climate resilience, focusing on approaches that better value, protect, restore and sustainably manage biodiversity.
Fit to theme: Proposals must address research questions within one of the themes set out above.
GESI: All proposals must incorporate clear plans to factor in gender, equality and social inclusion from the outset.
R&D: Proposed work must meet the definition of research and development: creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge (OECD, 2015).
Biodiversity science in support of community-led conservation of threatened local forests in Tompotika, Central Sulawesi: Protecting biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate resilient local livelihoods
Lead Partner: Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), USA
Summary: This project will empower the communities of Tompotika, Sulawesi to protect their forests from the urgent threat of nickel mining concessions and enhance their nature-based livelihoods. The project will collaboratively (1) characterise Tompotika’s plant biodiversity through botanical inventories, species extinction assessments, climate modelling, and key ecosystem services; (2) document traditional ecological and biocultural knowledge to prioritise climate resilient species that support livelihoods and provide important ecosystem services; (3) establish a community-run plant nursery for cultivation of selected species; and (4) disseminate this knowledge to internal and external stakeholders through community education and outreach as well as scientific publications and presentations.
Through a combination of biodiversity science and capacity building, this work will support the collaborative development of conservation proposals and promote the sustainable cultivation of economically important species to alleviate poverty and support climate resilience for the communities of Tompotika.
Summary: This transdisciplinary project is concerned with understanding the dynamics of land use change and supporting the co-creation of pathways towards sustainable land use that addresses biodiversity, climate change, food security and poverty concerns. The focus is on opportunities for sustainable food estate programmes in Indonesia, in the context of major concerns about their adverse environmental and social impacts. The programme will work with farming communities, NGOs, conservation agencies and government agencies; drawing together quantitative and qualitative data (and formal and informal knowledge) to visualise and assess the multiple values of landscapes, and impact of food estate interventions at sites with a variety of monocrop and agroforestry systems. It seeks to support productive, evidence-based dialogue through the development and use of an open access mapping and modelling tool; developing land use scenarios that integrate climate resilience and biodiversity conservation into initiatives that support sustainable livelihoods of farming communities and wider food security concerns. Through participatory action research and capacity building activities with key stakeholders, the programme will identify land use planning and policy process opportunities and practical intervention points.
Project Lead: University of Education, Winneba – Ghana
Summary: The Greater Amanzule Wetland (GAW) is threatened by artisanal mining, climate change, rubber plantations, and subsistence farming despite its ecological support for fauna and flora. Major interventions have focused less on the hydrological systems of the GAW. This project seeks to bridge this knowledge gap through work packages: hydrological systems and ecosystem service analysis; climate-smart farming for households; and development of decision tools and policy briefs to enhance conservation efforts.
The expected outcomes are: i) land use maps and spatial database indicating areas of significant degradation to inform restoration activities; ii) hydrological maps and reports on the level of pollution; iii) ecosystem services report to understand the ecosystem benefit of GAW to households and challenges affecting the services; iv) improved livelihood activities of over 400 households to be trained in beekeeping, agroforestry and native species nursery; v) maps and report indicating restored landscape; vi) decision support tools for government officials and stakeholders to enhance ecological planning and decisions; and vii) dissemination of reports and policy briefs.
The ultimate aim is to help improve livelihoods of households and the ecosystem services of GAW under increasing pressures of man and climate change. Also, to help Ghana conserve its wetland and maintain its National Determined Contributions with respect to carbon.
Summary: Scientific and traditional local and Indigenous knowledge systems will be integrated in the design and assessment of nature-based solutions (NbS) to enhance their impact on the climate resilience and just wellbeing of rural communities in two regions of Guatemala.
Local and national decision-makers will use guidelines and tools that integrate local and Indigenous Peoples’ values, knowledge and culture in the co-design of NbS for landscape climate resilience. Individual people, households and communities will be empowered to be at the centre of NbS planning and implementation through an enhanced awareness of the current and potential role of ecosystems in their lives and of the factors required for NbS to result in just and successful outcomes.
The tools and evidence from application of this approach will be made available to inform landscape resilience planning across Central America.
by Claudine Domingue, Communications & Engagement Manager, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
GCBC Phase 1 and RGC1 projects meet for knowledge sharing, learning and networking
Underpinning GCBC’s mandate to unlock the potential of nature to deliver resilience to climate change and improve livelihoods is the need for funded projects to explore scalable solutions and develop trans-disciplinary partnerships within the programme.
In its role as Strategic Science Lead for GCBC, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (RBG Kew) organized an all-day Research Symposium of talks and presentations to encourage collaboration between projects, hosting project leads from both established and newly funded projects. Representatives from the 14 projects who were funded as part of Phase 1 of the GCBC programme (2022 – 2024), as well as 13 projects announced as the recipients of the Research Grant Call1 (RGC1) funding in January 2024 were invited to attend.
The Research Symposium on 21 March 2024, also included staff from GCBC’s funding body – the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and Fund Management Lead DAI Global. With so many projects spread across the globe, we were fortunate to welcome many project representatives in person and several more were able to join online.
We were gifted with a beautiful spring day in which to congregate in Kew Garden’s historic Cambridge Cottage.
After a warm welcome from Kew’s Dr Monique Simmonds, OBE and Deputy Director of Science – Partnerships, the day officially began with insightful opening remarks from Professor Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser at Defra.
Monique Simmonds with Gideon Henderson who reminded us all how urgently these programmes are needed and their potential benefits to us all.l to r: Frida, Jessica, Constanza with Tim Wheeler.
Prof Tim Wheeler, newly appointed Deputy Director of International Science at Defra, spoke next and hosted the first panel of the day focussing on three of the seven projects awarded grant funding as part of Phase 1. These projects are identifying evidence gaps, new metrics, and policy options; with their outputs helping to shape GCBC’s priorities and guide future research and investments.
Continuing with Phase 1 projects, the second panel of the morning was chaired by Dr Elizabeth Warham, Head of GCBC for Kew. These projects had focussed on research outcomes and impact for farmers and communities.
l to r: Richard, on stage with Elizabeth Warham, and Yves discuss the Bio+Mine project.l to r: Richard, on stage with Elizabeth Warham, and Yves discuss the Bio+Mine project.Carolina presents her project.
Helen is the Policy lead for Sexual Exploitation Abuse & Harassment (SEAH) Safeguarding for Defra ODA programmes.
Before our lunch break, Helen Poulsen, the Senior Social Development Adviser in Defra’s ODA Hub, gave us a thought-provoking presentation on the importance of considering gender equality and social inclusion as the GCBC grantees develop their projects.
After lunch – and for many, a stroll through Kew’s gardens – we returned for an afternoon of 5-minute flash talks by our newest grantees, facilitated by Samantha Morris, GCBC Project Manager for Kew. Ten of the 13 RGC1 projects attended both in-person and online giving us an informative overview of their upcoming work.
l to r: Bettina, Aster and Samantha listen to Mark Grindley’s talk online.
l to r: Ryan Goldrick and Thomas Shaw (Defra), Subira Bjørnsen (Cadmus), Edward Gould (Defra).
Defra’s Jamie Carr, Bettina, and Aster – who travelled from Peru and Ethiopia for the symposium – chat during a break.
As Strategic Science Lead for GCBC, one of Kew’s goals is to encourage and nurture collaboration and learning within project groups and between research projects, and, by every measure, the research symposium achieved that result.
Our thanks to all the symposium participants and our Defra and DAI partners who attended.
All funded projects are listed here on the GCBC website: Projects – GCBC
* The GCBC is funded by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) with International Climate Finance and managed in partnership with DAI as Fund Management Lead. The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is the Strategic Science Lead.
Partners: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)
Summary: Understanding the current state of knowledge on the effectiveness of interventions is the key first step in identifying critical evidence gaps which should be prioritised to support future conservation policy, decision-making and financial investment. Investing in impact evaluation aims to systematically identify, review and summarise existing evidence on what works for conservation, climate and development interventions, and to define a clear approach to address identified priority evidence gaps.
Activities
The project has focused on 2 main activities:
Updating an existing Evidence Gap Map (EGM) on Land Use Change and Forestry interventions. An EGM identifies and describes the evidence base measuring the effectiveness of programmes against different outcomes.
Producing a framework from which an EGM can be created for Climate Change and Biodiversity. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of international frameworks to address the climate change and biodiversity crises that underpin the GCBC. Developing an evidence base on effective interventions to address these crises is critical, and 3ie have looked to develop an EGM framework that will act as the starting point for strategic and coordinated evidence generation and synthesis activities.
