Akumal Forum Tackles Sargassum Barrier Solutions

AKUMAL — Specialists, civil society organizations, and tourism sector stakeholders will participate in the First International Forum on Sargassum Barriers, a space designed to provide training and share experiences on managing the recurring problem affecting the Quintana Roo coastline.

The event will be held at Lol Ha Restaurant in Akumal Bay, with the backing of various institutions and associations, including Seamos Internacional, Eco Protección Akumal, Bayer, and Colche. It also has the support of local businesses, who have provided the venue for the gathering.

According to Iván Pennie, a specialist in integrated coastal management and one of the event’s organizers, the forum is non-commercial. Its central objective is to inform and educate about the installation, materials, and operation of the barriers used to contain the massive arrival of sargassum.

“The forum seeks to ensure that authorities, hoteliers, and suppliers understand the technical characteristics that truly make a barrier effective,” he explained. “No single barrier works 100 percent, but high percentages of effectiveness can be achieved if the coastal dynamics, currents, and prevailing winds are respected.”

The specialist emphasized that many systems fail due to poor anchoring or improper placement, which causes the barriers to collapse and allows sargassum to accumulate on the beaches. Therefore, the intention is to bring together suppliers, experts, authorities, and the interested community in one place to analyze both success stories and common errors.

The forum will last approximately three hours and will be available in both in-person and online formats. Participation is free, with only pre-registration required for entry. In-person capacity is limited to between 70 and 80 people, while there is no participant limit for the virtual modality. Currently, approximately 30 people have registered to attend in person, though more interested parties are expected to join in the coming days.

The organizers highlighted that this will be a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and propose joint solutions to the crisis generated each year by the accumulation of thousands of tons of sargassum on the Mexican Caribbean coast.