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Although large-scale seaweed aquaculture has been common practice and a valuable source of income for centuries in Asia it is still in its infancy in many places around the Indian and Pacific oceans. Tropical and subtropical reefs represent a huge source of largely untapped, and potentially high-value seaweeds which could be strong candidates for developing new innovative and sustainable seaweed industries.
expertise
expertise
Tropical & subtropical seaweeds
Identifications and species inventories (incl. DNA barconding)
Bioprospecting (diversity, biomass, valorization potential)
Phylogenetics, taxonomic revisions
Ecology, biogeography
Extensive experience of working with Sargassum
Field Work
Field Work
Planning and implementation of field work, including remote areas
Data collection, sampling, preserving and managing collections
Taxonomic identifications & inventories (incl. genetics)
Ecological impact and monitoring (Transects, quadrats, photos, sediment cores, ...)
Scientific scuba diving & snorkeling
Technical skills
Technical skills
Project planning and drafting, editing scientific documents
State of the art, scientific data collection & analysis
Scientific watch (opportunities and scientific advances)
Regional databases of seaweed potential
Databases management & analyses (incl. phylogenetics & statistics)
seaweeds for a blue future
seaweeds for a blue future
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I contribute my expertise to regional projects with a “positive impact” and continue to develop my skills and collaborations in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural framework, particularly in the field of the Blue Economy. I have developed a keen interest in seaweed mariculture for its potential to improve the livelihoods of coastal populations, and to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Seaweed mariculture can provide essential socio-economic benefits to communities as a complementary source of income, especially for women. Also, when included in Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems, seaweeds are beneficial to fish health and serve as environmental remediation. However, the establishment of seaweed farms brings its share of environmental impact and economic and social difficulties, mainly due to inappropriate value chains and climatic issues, particularly in tropical countries. In addition, there is growing evidence of the potential of seaweeds for blue carbon capture, a field that could represent significant future opportunities for coastal communities.
my background
my background
My primary expertise lies in the systematics (incl. phylogenetic diversity) and biogeography of brown macroalgae in the Indo-Pacific region. I focussed a lot of my research on the genus Sargassum, but I also worked on the taxonomic revision of other groups of marine macroalgae and I have often participated in scientific expeditions for the inventory of biodiversity, mainly tropical macroalgae (e.g. Scattered Islands, Mozambique, Mayotte, Maldives, Madagascar, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, French Polynesia, ...).
I am interested in multidisciplinary approaches to understand and explain the diversity and distribution of species: Phylogenetic diversity, phylogeography, molecular clock, niche modelling, paleoclimate, evolution dynamics, connectivity, hydrodynamic models...
In Australia, I also worked on projects which aimed at understanding the functioning of tropical benthic ecosystems. Using measures of diversity and abundance, we explained the structure of benthic communities in relation to biotic and abiotic environmental factors.
More recently I became involved with exploring the potential of seaweeds for valorization and reviewed the opportunities for further development of the seaweed industry in Australia (business case). I also participated in a Blue Carbon workshop and symposium (IORA). I am particularly interested in exploring the potential of diversifying the tropical seaweed productions for high-value products.
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