• Improving the Knowledge Base: There is a need for a shared better understanding of the status of the mucilage issue, the causes, and the options to manage these and the associated costs, institutional and technical requirements for these options. A strong research program led by a network of local academia and research institutions working with the Government could help improve the longer-term vision and the quick responses to such situations in the future. Vendor Fairs to showcase global private sector innovations could also be very useful in this context.
• Technology: There is immense potential to leverage rapidly evolving technologies to address many aspects of this problem. In addition to the tremendous potential for new wastewater treatment technologies (incl. for tertiary treatment, floating wetlands, etc.) and collecting mucilage, technological advances in monitoring, analytics and decision support can also be particularly useful. The Government is proposing to develop a “Digital Twin” of the Sea of Marmara for integrated visualization of big data to explore the status and scenario analysis for the Sea.
• Financing : The Government of Turkey through the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization is currently and plans to in the future finance the process of implementing the program to address the problem of the marine mucilage.
• Better enforcement and sufficient incentives/disincentives to ensure that industrial wastewater is being properly treated.

The Government of Turkey is already proceeding to implement a 22 point program led by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to address this problem of marine mucilage in the Sea of Marmara, which is to also be designated a protected area by end of 2021.