A Novel Dpsir–Ecosystem Services Framework for Seaweed Aquaculture on Multi-Use Platforms: From Pressure to Progress, Reduce to Restore

Abstract

The emerging seaweed aquaculture in Europe and the Americas is expanding, delivering system value from engineered ecosystem services (EES) such as eutrophication and climate change mitigation. The use of seaweed as a nature-based emission capture and utilisation technology turning emissions into revenue streams while delivering non-profit value makes seaweed aquaculture a promising eco-industrial system fitting well the global agenda of green economic transitions and ecosystem health restoration. However, aquaculture activities may in some cases cause unwanted engineered ecosystem disservices (EED), which should be avoided.We argue that an adaptive and cross-sectoral policy framework approach, with coordinated instruments, is imperative to support the sustainable development of the blue circular bioeconomy, from primary production to final output products (i.e. phyconomy), involving actors from multiple levels of governance at institutions across the involved sectors and scales.This review study therefore presents an overview of the likely engineered ecosystem services (EES) and disservices (EED) and potential impacts on natural ecosystem services resulting from seaweed aquaculture, using the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services. Links between stakeholders related to EES/EED were identified using the ecosystem services approach, applying the snowball approach to map relevant policy instruments influencing the EES and EED of seaweed aquaculture. The Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, and Response (DPSIR) framework is adapted to the context of global transitions and developing phyconomy.

Keywords: Governance framework, Policy recommendations, Seaweed, Blue growth, DPSIR framework, circular bioeconomy