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Artificial reef made of sargassum project tested off Cozumel coast

Cozumel, Q.R. — Cozumel is currently testing the effectiveness of artificial reefs made of sargassum. Artificial coral made with the same algae have been installed off the coasts of Cozumel.

Toni Chaves, President of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association (AHRM), says the project consists of lego-like modules where live coral are inserted into the sargassum versions for regeneration.

“It is like creating an artificial reef but with sargassum, not with cement or rods, which have a negative impact on the sea,” he said.

“We have already done a pilot plan with that and corals and marine life have regenerated, so it is viable,” he said adding that they are still monitoring the results.

“It has already withstood the storms and hurricanes of the last few weeks which we are happy with,” said the President of the Asociación de Hoteles de la Riviera Maya (AHRM).

The project consists of a modular dome printed in 3D from sargassum waste and clay, which has a sargassum extract base coating to eliminate the need for manual maintenance.

The original project was presented in November 2023 by Dr. Shadai Lugo Loredo, a research professor at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, who received an honorable mention.

The project is part of a three-year program run jointly by the banking institution BBVA and the Riviera Maya Hotel Association (AHRM).

“The academic institutions endorse and tell us if it is feasible to carry out these projects, and once they are done, they become a parallel business, which is what we were also looking for, to convert waste into a raw material and create a parallel industry to sargassum,” he explained.

Chaves said a few months ago, a meeting was held in Quintana Roo with a delegation from the European Union and global financial institutions to finance projects with sargassum.

“Tec de Monterrey, UNAM, scientists, businessmen, hoteliers were there… countries like Jamaica, Cuba, Panama and the Dominican Republic came since we are the country that has made the most progress on the issue,” Chavas said.

In November of this year, awards will be given to the sargassum projects used in Quintana Roo.