Seagriculture Speaker

About the speaker:

In her role at WWF-US, Bailey supports the seaweed industry in reducing barriers to growth and advancement for climate gains. Her current region of focus is the Eastern Pacific to the North Atlantic. She oversees grants to community organizations and research institutes focused on projects ranging from the ecosystem services of seaweed and shellfish farming to installing demonstration farms in new communities. She develops workshops aimed at driving new markets for seaweed, including as a livestock feed and alternative packaging material, bringing together stakeholders across the respective value chains. Bailey brings 10 years of marine science, education, and aquaculture experience. Prior to WWF, Bailey ran a commercial kelp nursery and a research-scale scallop farm in Maine. She has worked on seaweed farming projects in coastal communities in Madagascar and Belize as part of her graduate studies. Her research centered on a women’s association developing new seaweed-based products. She holds a BA in Earth & Oceanographic Science from Bowdoin College and a Professional Science Masters in Ocean Food Systems from the University of New England.

Company info: 

As the world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in nearly 100 countries. At every level, we collaborate with people around the world to develop and deliver innovative solutions that protect communities, wildlife, and the places in which they live.

Presentation:

Seaweed farming has the potential to act as a nature-based solution, delivering on goals to address numerous societal challenges while benefiting both people and nature. This presentation will provide an overview of WWF's strategy to reduce key barriers to scaling the seaweed farming industry in order to have a meaningful impact on climate change and ecosystem services. It will also explore the role environmental NGO's can play in accelerating market demand, access to capital, and achieving social license to operate for farms.