Cancún to Host International Sargassum Summit

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Cancún will host an international summit on sargassum on Oct. 1-2, bringing together specialists from Japan, Brazil and the Caribbean, Mexico’s environment secretary announced.

Alicia Bárcena, head of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), said the meeting is funded by the European Union and will gather nations that also face massive arrivals of the seaweed. Representatives from countries such as the Dominican Republic are expected to attend, she said.

“All the Caribbean countries that want Mexico’s support are coming, because we are the largest country suffering from the problem,” Bárcena said at the presidential morning press conference.

She added that Japan has shown strong interest in providing technology, particularly vessels that can collect the macroalgae before it reaches the beaches.

“Japan has a huge intention to support us, especially with sargassum-collecting boats, and that’s very important,” Bárcena said.

The time and venue for the summit have not yet been announced. Bárcena said the goal is to build a coordinated response to a problem that affects the Caribbean coast every year, impacting tourism, the environment and the regional economy.