The Kappaphycus alvarezii seaweed was brought to India from the Philippines in the 1980s, and soon gained popularity in commercial farming. But then in 2014
Kappaphycus alvarezii proved to be a commercially viable livelihood option for the people of Rameswaram. But it also poses a danger to coral reefs in the biodiversity hotspot of Gulf of Mannar region.
The government plans a seaweed park in Tamil Nadu, ignoring the threat that Kappaphycus, a widely grown invasive seaweed, poses to corals in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park running along the state's coastline