Speaker

About the speaker: 

Charlotte Capuno is the Founder of Sea.Veloper, an initiative advancing sustainable and regenerative seaweed aquaculture in the Global South. With over 8 years of experience in sustainability, circular economy, and blue economy project development, she has led

initiatives across Europe and more than 4 years of on-the-ground work in Indonesia. Her work focuses on designing inclusive, low-tech, and climate-resilient aquaculture systems that strengthen coastal livelihoods and marine ecosystems. Through Sea.Veloper’s SeaBox and SeaDrops designs, she explores 3D seaweed farming and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) as scalable pathways for sustainable ocean cultivation.

Company info:

Sea.Veloper is an initiative dedicated to improving how tropical seaweed is farmed and integrated into coastal ecosystems. The organization develops and tests low-tech, scalable aquaculture systems that increase farmer resilience and marine biodiversity — such as the SeaBox and SeaDrops systems. These bamboo- and rope-based designs allow farmers to grow seaweed (e.g. K. alvarezii and Gracilaria) alongside oysters in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) setups that enhance yields, reduce disease risks, and support local marine life Sea.Veloper’s mission is to make tropical seaweed cultivation more climate-resilient, regenerative, and economically empowering for smallholder farmers in the Global South. Through its pilot projects in Indonesia, the initiative employs monitoring, data collection and analysis, and social engagement, to demonstrate that sustainable seaweed aquaculture can be

both a livelihood strategy and a tool for ecosystem restoration

Presentation:

Since its launch in November 2024, Sea.Veloper’s “Seabox project” has taken significant steps from concept to real-world validation. Over the past year, the organization has tested several design iterations across different climate conditions and water qualities, each providing valuable insights into performance and adaptability. The trials so far have shown encouraging results compared to traditional methods in growth performance and health, reinforcing the design’s potential to improve seaweed quality and efficiency in post-harvest handling. The first steps towards applying multi-trophic cultivation have been taken – integrating both oyster cultivation as well as lobster, cultivation seamlessly into the system. The aim is to utilise the mutual benefits from integrating the species for one-another to further improve the efficiency – and resiliency – of the seaweed and as an income buffer in case of diseases or climate change-imposed losses. Building on the progress, the next phase will expand trials to multiple sites across Indonesia, engaging more communities and partners to further refine the technology based on new environments, and from there scale its adoption.