On June 20, as part of their public engagement and Town Hall series, our partners from the University of Aberdeen and the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Center (LBMC) along with the Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology (LHEI) took part in a public engagement event at the Lampa Festival in Cēsis. During the session, they explored approaches to the meaning of the “Do No Significant Harm (DSNH)” principle in blue-green algae studies.
The event titled “What do we have in common with cyanobacteria in Latvian waters?” was chaired by Anda Ikauniece (LHEI) and featured a panel discussion composed of Davids Fridmanis, Alise Bogdanova and Iveta Jurgensone (LBMC). Together, they addressed the role, risks, and research of blue-green algae in Latvian waters as well as dangers of direct contact with cyanobacteria, what blue-green algae reveal about our waters and how we can coexist with them.
To make the event interactive, questions were asked both to the panel and the public. Through a Slido quiz, the audience was invited to respond to the three following questions:
– Do you know what Cyanobacteria are?
– Are blue-green algae dangerous?
– Can blue-green algae studies harm the environment?
As for the panel, they were asked about their experience with blue-green algae and the research methods in use for cyanobacteria they are familiar with, whether cyanobacteria could be useful for mitigating climate change considering their resilience and adaptation through several millennia, what the principle of DNSH means for them and how they interpret it in relation to blue-green algae.