Problem Statement

The hydraulic and aquifer resources of the Dominican Republic, Central America, and the Caribbean needs protection from toxic substances known as sargassum.

Proposed Solution

The climate change and water protection strategy, Shaping Hydro, aims to protect the hydraulic and aquifer resources of the Dominican Republic, Central America, and the Caribbean from toxic substances known as sargassum. This protection is materialized with high-impact scalable solutions that allow mapping the arrival of sargassum, with scientific solutions called Littoral Collection Module (LCM) and Sargassum Ocean Sequestration of Carbon, to capture, recycle and revalue it as raw material. Through these solutions, sargassum is given a second life, treating it as a raw material for obtaining biogas, organic fertilizer, and fill material for construction. 

Hub Activiy and Long-Term Goals/Results

The vision embodied in the Shaping Hydro strategy will allow the entire Dominican Republic to have a comprehensive system for the collection and revaluation of sargassum sustainably in the next 5-10 years. These systems enhance local employment, allowing fishermen to be part of the strategy and local businesses for the sale of revalued sargassum. 

These strategies will be disseminated throughout Central America and the Caribbean, with the help of the Global Shapers Hubs, located in the region. In this way, a unified comprehensive system would be used, which allows the nations of the region to replicate the best successes in their communities, allowing a sustainable solution to the sargassum problem. 

Our strategy complements and improves public and private actions carried out against sargassum. Through it, fishermen are integrated for the effective collection of sargassum in the sea, preventing its arrival on the coast and providing a sustainable barrier against toxic algae. 

Once the sargassum is captured, it is recycled and revalued on a large scale by hotels and small businesses in coastal areas, integrating it into the production chain in a sustainable way. In this revaluation process, the sargassum is treated as raw material, turning it into biogas, fertilizer, and construction materials. 

These are used by small local businesses, boosting the local economy. In this way, the Shaping Hydro strategy provides development opportunities to fishing populations, vulnerable to climate change and the post-COVID-19 effects. Local employment, the local economy, revaluation of sargassum as raw material, and coastal protection at the national level are improved. 

Available Metrics

The Shaping Hydro strategy proposes various performance indicators and goals to define its real impact. The sargassum collection indicator stands out, which allows counting the cubic meters withdrawn from the sea, protecting the environment. Likewise, the revalued pounds of sargassum are included as a final product, whether for biogas, fertilizer, or construction material. 

The indicator of local labor employed is also included, which makes it possible to quantify the transversal impact of the strategy on local employment and the economy of the affected communities. Sustainability indicators are included to ensure that each step of the process is per the SDG goals. 

Collaborators

SOS Carbon

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