THE FUTURE VALUE OF SEAWEED FARMING IN THE UK

Tender description

Please read ToR for full information. WWF-UK is working on regenerative seaweed farming because it has the ability to deliver positive environmental outcomes on climate, food, biodiversity, land and ocean, whilst also supporting livelihoods and growing new supply chains across a range of versatile products. Regenerative ocean farming will be a critical part of solving the 'triple challenge' in years to come - providing sustainable and nutritious food to a global population, whilst also averting catastrophic climate breakdown and restoring our precious nature. The commission should start by reviewing existing literature , internal WWF materials and materials provided by the steering group, and outline: • the global context for seaweed aquaculture and trends in demand and production, including main producing countries, most common products and value of these, and key areas of ongoing research • the UK context for seaweed and trends in demand and production, including wild harvest • an explanation of the licensing process in the UK including the statutory licensing requirements (eg Marine Management Organisation) and landowner permission (eg The Crown Estate) • principles and criteria that need to be met for a seaweed or ocean farm to be considered 'regenerative' • outline some advantages and disadvantages of the different kinds of production and harvesting systems used (ie IMTA, poly vs monoculture, wild harvest vs. farmed) The commission should then proceed to address the research questions listed in the ToR document. The final output of this project is a WWF branded public facing open access report, suitable for a use with a range of audiences, ready for immediate dissemination. The language must be concise and accessible, and in line with other WWF publications such as Low Opportunity Cost Feeds, Roadmap to scaling up insect protein in feed report, including high impact infographics embedded within the report.