Download call for proposals - Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
RESEARCH REQUIREMENT
PROJECT
SARF106
A risk/benefit analysis of mariculture as a means to reduce
the impacts of terrestrial production of food and energy with
particular regard to ghg emissions, freshwater and land use
Context:
Mariculture, the production of aquatic animals and plants in the ocean, has been acclaimed as a
potential solution to the food/energy/water/land nexus. Mariculture can produce food and
energy as well as bio-material, mineral extraction through seaweed, feed and fertiliser with low
greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions1,2 and using minimal freshwater3 and land. This research project
will review the existing literature and provide an analysis of the footprint of mariculture and
discuss the degree to which it can meet these expectations and what the environmental risks and
benefits would be of its expansion.
Background:
Anthropogenic ghg emissions and their impact on climate change is an issue of importance to
many involved in policy development. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (taken as
the year 1750), the burning of fossil fuels has contributed to a 40% increase in the atmospheric
concentration of carbon dioxide, from 280 to 392.6 parts-per-million (ppm) in 2012 2. Terrestrial
activities such as deforestation, land use change, livestock enteric fermentation, manure
management and the use of fertilisers are all contributors to ghg emissions from food
production4,5.
Some of the greatest threats to the earth’s biodiversity come from the increased pressure on land
from the production of food commodities and bioenergy and the ghg emissions from fossil fuels.
1
Garnett, T. 2008. Cooking up a Storm: Food, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Our Changing Climate. Food Climate Research
Network.
2 E Dlugokencky and P Tans, NOAA/ESRL http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/global.html
3 M. C. J. Verdegem, R. H. Bosma & J. A. J. Verreth (2006): Reducing Water Use for Animal Production through Aquaculture,
International Journal of Water Resources Development, 22:1, 101-113
4 IPCC; Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.) (2007). "Chapter
7. Couplings Between Changes in the Climate System and Biogeochemistry". Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science
Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-88009-1. Retrieved 13
May 2008.
5 Raupach, M.R. et al. (2007). "Global and regional drivers of accelerating CO emissions". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 104
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(24): 10288–93. Bibcode:2007PNAS..10410288R. doi:10.1073/pnas.0700609104. PMC 1876160. PMID 17519334
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This is especially obvious in the case of commodities such as palm oil in the richly diverse rain
forests of SE Asia and soy in the Amazon Basin and Cerrado of South America. Forest land is
increasingly cleared for the development of pastureland for cattle production and productive
coastal land in Bangladesh is reduced to salt marsh by the production of shrimps in saltwater
ponds. Additional land is used for the production of biofuels further exacerbating the situation6.
How to continue expanding energy and food production for an expanding and increasingly
affluent population without further exacerbating the impacts of climate change and without
putting further pressure on limited available land and freshwater resources is a fundamental
question for the future.
Increasing production of food for human consumption and algae biomass for energy, fertiliser,
mineral extracts and feeds through mariculture is seen as one potential way forward as it takes
place in the sea and produces minimal ghg emissions and uses minimal freshwater.
Outline Research Requirement:
SARF requires research that addresses a number of questions that should be answered before the
concept of increased global mariculture can be taken forward. What portion of future food and
energy could realistically be supplied by mariculture and what would be the reduction in ghg
emissions, water and land requirements of this? Would this level of production be possible and
what would be the ocean area requirements and potential environmental and social benefits and
risks of this approach? Could algal biomass also reduce eutrophication in the oceans as a positive
side-effect through the uptake of nutrients originating from terrestrial activities?
Note this project is funded by WWF UK, with project commissioning, management, peer review
and publication delivered by SARF.
Impact:
All SARF applied research projects must consider the opportunity for project outcomes to
contribute to further activities that might, in due course, lead to measurable positive impacts on
Scottish aquaculture production. Scottish aquaculture products are now traded around the world,
and companies involved in aquaculture in Scotland are also active in other countries.
Understanding the potential contribution that marine aquaculture can offer to the future of food
and energy production within the context of increasing population and affluence, climate change
and diminishing supplies of land and freshwater will help to focus advocacy on these issues and
offer a positive way forward for the development of future plans for food and energy production.
Analysis of the risks will also help to determine whether the benefits are sufficient to outweigh the
risks, but also to discuss potential methods for reducing risks.
Objectives:
6
Creating a Sustainable Food Future: Interim Findings http://www.wri.org/publication/creating-sustainable-food-futureinterim-findings The world resources Institute.
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It is envisaged that the project will have 4 components of which 3 and 4 should form the bulk of the
output:
1. A brief summary description of mariculture production of both fish and shellfish for food
covering techniques, systems and production trends.
2. A brief summary description of mariculture for biomass, existing knowledge of techniques,
products and production trends as well as the process for producing energy and other products
from algal biomass, efficiencies and comparisons with other methods of energy production.
3. A detailed and comprehensive presentation of existing knowledge on the footprint of both
terrestrial food production and mariculture systems in terms of ghg emissions, water use and
land use (including processing in the case of algal biomass) in order to compare mariculture
with existing techniques of livestock, food and energy production. This component should
include discussion on the potential reduction of nutrients in coastal areas through production
of algal biomass. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) techniques could be used or the results of past LCA
studies critically reviewed and compared. Suggestions for improving existing LCA techniques for
mariculture could be included. The research must consider a seascape approach when
considering cumulative effects and not just a disembodied LCA approach. It is from the
concentration of production and its siting that the principal risks may arise. High concentrations
of mariculture may have negative social, economic or environmental impacts and may exceed
the carry capacity of local marine resources, while also having the potential to sequester
carbon, nutrients and provide protection for breeding and small fish.
4. Analysis of the data from components 1-3 which generates ideas and discussion on the
potential for mariculture to produce food and energy, bio-material, mineral extraction through
seaweed, feed, fertiliser as well as and what the footprint would look like. This should include
where production would take place and the potential social benefits/impacts and
environmental impacts on marine biodiversity, required volumes to meet future demands and
the potential surface area of ocean required. A discussion on future technology improvements
that would mitigate against any identified environmental and social impacts and costs would
also be useful.
The consultant should also suggest next steps for research, present the limitations of the project
and conclusion of the findings.
Approach:
Applicants are invited to suggest their preferred approach to the project, but should note that the
research will cover the positive and negative environmental impacts i.e. the environmental, social
and economic risks and benefits, of mariculture. It should include a comprehensive review of
existing data on ghg emissions, water use and land use of mariculture systems for the production
of food and energy including LCA and its shortfalls for mariculture. It should review future
projections of food and energy production to 2050 and discuss what environmental, social and
economic impact an increase in production from mariculture including feed and fertiliser from algal
biomass would make. Finally, it should summarise the data and make recommendations based on
the findings, as to how mariculture can be used to increase the supply of food and energy and other
products and minimise the major environmental impacts of existing terrestrial production methods.
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Note to applicants: There are a range of possible competencies associated with undertaking this
work fully, and we would encourage applicants to consider building ‘teams’ of experts, who might
not normally work together. This is normal practice for many SARF projects, and tends to be a useful
way of achieving our research objectives, and also of fostering increased networking in the research
field.
Project Management:
There will be a SARF Steering Group assigned to this project. (Applicants should factor the cost of
attending 2 steering group meetings, probably in Edinburgh or London, into their applications and
a final presentation near London)
Deliverables: A Draft including presentation at WWF Head Office in Woking and then Final Report
Anticipated
Duration:
Maximum Cost:
Proposed Start
Date:
Commissioning
Mode:
Deadline for
Applications:
Application Forms:
Contact:
6 months
£30,000 incl. VAT
September 2014
Open Competition
18th July 2014
Application forms together with SARF’s standard terms and conditions of
contract are available at: http://www.sarf.org.uk/downloads.html
Richard Slaski – email: [email protected]
Tel: 01387 740098
Piers Hart – email: [email protected]
Tel: 07500 102 797
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