Tony Cháves, president of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association (AHRM), explained that they are working on a project worth about $100 million for the collection and use of Sargassum. The project will be managed by a trust and a panel of experts.
Several groups have been established over the past year to discuss the problem and attempt remedies, but not much has been done to actually resolve it. Sargassum has been temporarily alleviated by barriers, sargassum collecting ships, and beach cleaning initiatives, but these are not long-term fixes.
A task force on sargassum that includes scientists, Navy personnel, and government representatives was established back in April.
The crew was tasked with coming up with a warning system and figuring out ways to prevent sargassum from ever reaching the area’s beaches in addition to better techniques to remove it from the beaches. However, despite the task force’s initiatives, the issue has not been resolved.
In an effort to find a longer-lasting solution to the sargassum issue, tourist officials are currently meeting to discuss potential uses for the seaweed. They intend to gather and use the sargassum for things like fertilizers, according to the president of the Association of Hotels of the Riviera Maya.
A portion of the $100 million would be used to help businesses set up the necessary equipment so they can harvest sargassum.
Sargassum probably won’t spontaneously cease washing up on the coast one day, but that doesn’t mean a human-made solution can’t be developed to lessen its effects in well-known tourist areas like Cancun.
A fantastic solution to the issue is to find a technique to both prevent it from washing up on the beaches and make use of it simultaneously. If the team developing that solution receives the funding required to get going, it might not take long before we start to notice more beaches without sargassum.