BELMOPAN, Belize, (CMC) – The Belize government says it will allocate funding and offer incentives to facilitate the collection and transportation of sargassum to designated disposal sites.

Scientists say record amount of sargassum is currently impacting shores throughout the Caribbean, from Puerto Rico to Guyana with the prickly, brown algae releasing toxic gas, killing wildlife.

A statement issued by the Belize government following its weekly Cabinet meeting noted that Cabinet had discussed the escalating sargassum situation, which has seen a 70 per cent increase in regional influx compared to the last major episode in 2022.

The statement said that as a result, Cabinet has endorsed an emergency response plan jointly developed by the Ministry of Tourism, Youth, Sports & Diaspora Relations and the Ministry of Blue Economy and Marine Conservation that includes the provision of financial assistance to support cleanup operations in affected coastal communities.

“The government of Belize will allocate funding and offer incentives to facilitate the collection and transportation of sargassum to designated disposal sites. Recognising the need for a more sustained and coordinated approach, Cabinet has also instructed the Sargassum Task Force to develop medium- to long-term strategies, including the creation of a monitoring and early warning system to trigger future emergency responses as necessary,” the statement said.

It gave no details regarding the amount of funds to be made available, but Cabinet called for enhanced collaboration among key ministries, local government authorities, and the private sector “to ensure an effective and timely response to this growing environmental and economic threat”.