2007 Environment Award Laureate
Fundacion Terram
| Laureate Country: Santiago, Chile |
| Website: http://www.terram.cl |
| Video: 2007Videos/fundacion_terram.mov |
Fundacion Terram technology deploys seaweed to absorb the wastes of salmon farming while providing feed for aquaculture.
In Chile, wild fish populations are dropping and biodiversity is suffering due to the country's booming aquaculture industry. Salmon farming is producing immense nitrogen waste and abalone breeding is depleting natural seaweed.
Fundacion Terram's brilliant system solves multiple ocean crises at once. They attach seaweed seedlings to long lines around salmon farms. The seaweed's growth is accelerated as it thrives on the salmon wastes and cleanses them from the water. In turn, the seaweed provides an abundant food source for abalone, so natural plants are not over-harvested. The organization also trains low-income groups to cultivate the eco-friendly seaweed.
