The waters of the Malecon, Santo Domingo’s seafront promenade, are darkened by brown algae, which tractors are eager to pick up: the spread of sargassum is worrying the Dominican Republic, which largely depends on tourism.
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The most affected areas are currently Santo Domingo and San Pedro de Macoris on the south coast of the country. The algae rotting on the beaches there give off a foul smell.
Photo: AFP
In the east, in the province of Altagracia, where the famous seaside resorts of Punta Cana and La Romana are located, the amounts of sargassum are smaller.
But reports received by the Ministry of Tourism in April say that Sargassum was present on 42.5% of the patrolled beaches in this tourist area in April. In January only 25% were affected.
Around 24 million tons of seaweed reached Dominican shores between January and March, compared to 14 million in the same period last year. And experts assume that the quantities will continue to rise.
“Ten years ago we saw the sargassum three months of the year, but today they’re there almost year-round, from March to November,” says marine biologist Andrea Valcarcel, head of the country’s marine laboratory division.
Hoteliers, concerned about their image and the comfort of tourists, pay brigades to collect seaweed in Punta Cana.
“Sargassum is a huge economic burden. Most hotels are suffering and have invested in barriers (to prevent algae encroachment) and algae collection at sea and on land,” David Llivre, President of the Hotels Association, told AFP.
Photo: AFP
“If the volume keeps increasing, it could have a negative impact on tourism,” he warns, while the Dominican Republic (population 10.5 million) welcomed 8.5 million visitors in 2022.
For a dozen years, these brown algae have been infesting the coasts of the Caribbean, Guyana, Central America, the Gulf of Mexico, but also the Ivory Coast, Benins and Togo. They suffocate biodiversity and pose health problems, as their decomposition releases noxious gases (hydrogen sulfide, ammonia), but they also create ecological and economic problems.
electricity production is affected
The causes of their spread are still under investigation. The increase in agricultural activity due to the presence of fertilizers in water, the supply of nutrient salts related to the deforestation of the Amazon, the change in currents, the fogs of the Sahara or global warming are the most mentioned.
President Luis Abinader’s administration three years ago announced a $12 million fund — six from the state and six from the private sector — to fight Sargassum, but the plan has been shelved.
Bids for a control plan that included land and water rehabilitation and the construction of offshore barriers ranged from $25 million to $30 million.
However, these are mitigating measures that did not offer a definitive solution, Tourism Secretary David Collado told reporters.
Sargassum is also disrupting power generation in the Dominican Republic, where at least 1,200 megawatts are being generated in thermal power plants using seawater.
Energy Minister Antonio Almonte stressed that some power plants are being forced to shut down operations or reduce production due to the risk of internal damage from Sargassum intrusion.
Mainly because the months of greatest distribution of these pelagic brown algae floating on the sea surface coincide with peaks in energy demand, namely the hot season for air conditioning.
The government has donated $1 million to universities hoping scientists will find potential uses for sargassum in biofuels, fertilizers, cosmetics, animal feed, dyes, concrete blocks or thermal panels. -Acoustics.
Mr Llivre, President of the Hotel Association, hopes Sargassum will turn a ‘burden’ into something that ‘has value’.