Why Seaweed Planning Needs a Risk Lens
Seaweed farming has gained global attention for its potential to absorb carbon, improve coastal water quality, and create income in rural and island communities. Indonesia is one of the world’s largest seaweed producers, and many countries now include seaweed aquaculture in marine spatial planning and blue economy strategies.
However, seaweed farms are exposed to rising sea temperatures, stronger storms, shifting currents, disease outbreaks, and regulatory conflicts with other marine users. According to Sri Mulyani’s review, many planning tools still rely on static environmental maps, such as water depth or nutrient levels, without adequately considering how risks change over time or affect different stakeholders.
As coastal zones become more crowded and climate impacts intensify, planners need tools that do more than identify “suitable” locations. They need approaches that anticipate losses, conflicts, and system failures before they occur.
How the Review Was Conducted
The study is a systematic literature review that followed international PRISMA guidelines. Sri Mulyani analyzed peer-reviewed journal articles published in English that focus on spatial planning, zoning, or site selection for seaweed and macroalgae aquaculture.
The review examined:
· Planning methods, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision analysis
· Risk indicators used in planning, including environmental hazards and social factors
· Decision-support tools designed to inform policymakers and coastal managers
Rather than running new field experiments, the research synthesized and compared existing studies to identify patterns, strengths, and gaps in current practice.
Key Findings from the Review
The analysis reveals several consistent trends across the global literature on seaweed aquaculture planning:
· Risk is often treated indirectly. Most studies embed risk within environmental suitability scores instead of explicitly assessing the likelihood and impact of hazards such as storms, marine heatwaves, or disease outbreaks.
· Hazards dominate planning indicators. Environmental hazards receive far more attention than exposure, social vulnerability, or the ability of communities and institutions to adapt.
· GIS-based tools are widespread but limited. GIS overlays and ranking maps are popular because they are transparent and easy to use, but they often oversimplify complex ecological and social dynamics.
· Uncertainty is rarely addressed. Few planning studies test how sensitive their results are to data gaps, changing climate conditions, or different assumptions.
· Policy uptake is weak. Many decision-support tools produce maps and indices, but there is little evidence they are actually used in marine spatial planning, permitting, or coastal governance.
Overall, the review concludes that risk-based spatial planning for seaweed aquaculture is still fragmented and underdeveloped.
Implications for Policy and Coastal Management
The findings have direct relevance for policymakers, planners, and the seaweed industry. Without stronger risk integration, new seaweed farms may be placed in areas vulnerable to climate shocks or social conflict, leading to financial losses and environmental harm.
Sri Mulyani argues that future planning should move toward integrated risk frameworks that combine:
· Environmental hazards, such as temperature extremes and storms
· Exposure of farms, infrastructure, and coastal communities
· Social and institutional vulnerability, including governance capacity
· Adaptive capacity, such as access to technology, insurance, and alternative livelihoods
Decision-support systems should also be co-designed with regulators and local stakeholders to improve trust and usability. Tools that clearly communicate uncertainty can help decision-makers prepare for worst-case scenarios instead of relying on optimistic averages.
In practical terms, better risk-based planning could help governments allocate marine space more fairly, reduce conflicts with fisheries and tourism, and improve the long-term resilience of seaweed farming under climate change.
Expert Insight
According to Sri Mulyani of Bosowa University, risk-aware planning is essential as seaweed aquaculture expands. She notes that many current zoning decisions still assume stable environmental conditions, even as climate variability increases. Her review highlights the need for planning tools that explicitly link science with governance, rather than remaining purely academic exercises.
Author Profile
Sri Mulyani, M.Sc. Aquaculture Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture Bosowa University, Indonesia Field of expertise: aquaculture planning, marine spatial planning, and climate risk in coastal systems.
Source
Journal Article: Risk-Based Spatial Planning for Seaweed Aquaculture: A Systematic Review of Methods, Indicators, and Decision Support
Journal: Indonesian Journal of Advanced Research (IJAR)
Year: 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ijar.v5i1.15959
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