Seaweed Pickers in the Eastern Cape RO B A N DE R S O N A N D MA R K R O T HM A N
We may worry when we see people moving across the rocky seashore, removing things and putting them in sacks. However, when the people are picking the seaweed Gelidium pristoides, we are looking at one of the most sustainable extractive activities on the South African coast. Gelidium is one of several red seaweeds that produce agar, a polysaccharide with remarkable properties. It contains a gel is used in many foods, cosmetics and other products.
MO S T I MPO R TA N T, I T I S E S S E N T IA L I N M E DI CAL PATH OLO G Y A S A N E UTR A L MEDI UM O N WHIC H
T O C ULTURE B A C T ERI A, FUNGI A N D SOM ETI M ES V IR U SES : THERE I S N O SUBS TI TUTE FOR A G A R I N M EDI CAL R E S E ARCH AND P AT HOLOGY ! G. pristoides is our best Gelidium species because it grows in the intertidal zone (so it’s easily collected) 29
