Monitoring the COVID-19-affected Indonesian seaweed industry using remote sensing data

• Published in: Marine policy Vol. 127; p. 104431
• Main Authors: Langford, Alexandra, Waldron, Scott, Sulfahri, Saleh, Hasnawati
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2021
• Subjects: Agar; Carrageenan; COVID-19; Marine algae; Remote sensing; Satellite imagery; South Sulawesi; COVID-19; Satellite imagery; Marine algae; Agar; Carrageenan; South Sulawesi; Remote sensing
• ISSN: 0308-597X; 1872-9460
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104431

The Indonesian seaweed industry has rapidly expanded over the last twenty years and now contributes to the livelihoods of 267,000 coastal households. Policy makers need accurate information from which to base policy that improves the livelihoods of smallholder farmers without further straining natural resource limits. The sustained growth of the sector necessitates means for reporting and monitoring the sector, particularly in the context of COVID-19. This paper uses newly available, high resolution, high frequency satellite data from April 2017 to December 2020 to identify seaweed farming plots and to map the seasonal changes in the industry. This is overlaid with data on environmental factors, prices, and official production statistics to reveal a range of insights into the industry which are obscured by official annual data, such as the seasonality of production and the change in activity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper evaluates the usefulness of this data for monitoring the industry and informing strategic policy decisions. [Display omitted] •Uses newly available high-resolution, high-frequency satellite data.•Maps seasonal and annual changes in seaweed production.•Assesses the impact of COVID-19 on seaweed farming patterns.•Shows the utility of this data for informing strategic policy.