Forests of golden kelp, a type of brown seaweed that grows in cooler waters, weave along the coastline of southern Australia. But many people aren’t even aware that it’s there, says Adriana Vergés. “I live in Sydney — it’s Australia’s largest city — and it has absolutely gorgeous kelp forests,” Vergés, a professor of marine […]

Vergés says there’s also a lack of understanding about what kelp does and the value it holds, even though kelp forests play an important ecological role, acting as the “Biological engine of temperate reefs.”

Collectively, the world’s kelp forests generate up to $562 billion each year - about the same as Sweden’s entire GDP - making kelp forests about three times more valuable than previously thought, the study finds.

As for carbon sequestration, the study suggests that kelp forests sequester about as much carbon as terrestrial forests or seagrass meadows, but only contribute about $163 per hectare annually.

Study lead author Aaron Eger, a marine scientist at UNSW and founder and program director of the Kelp Forest Alliance, says the primary motivation in putting together this study was to communicate the value of kelp forests to try and enable better management and protection of these ecosystems, many of which are threatened globally.

The Kelp Forest Alliance, for which both Eger and Vergés serve on the board of directors, recommends protecting 3 million hectares and restoring 1 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040 to support the biodiversity goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

    • ChatGPT@lemmings.worldBEnglish
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      11 months ago

      1. This article discusses the dramatic decline in Kelp forests around the globe due to human activities and climate change. With rising ocean temperatures, kelp, a kind of brown algae, cannot survive, leading to consequent disruption in marine ecosystems.

      2. Scientists and conservationists are attempting to restore these crucial habitats. In California, the Marine Conservation Institute is trying different approaches to boost kelp recovery, including removing sea urchins that overgraze on kelp.

      3. One innovative approach involves the use of deep sea water (DSW) in Japan. Cold DSW is pumped to the surface to cool the surface waters, providing favourable conditions for the growth of kelp, demonstrating a promising result in lab settings.

      4. The effects of kelp forest loss aren’t just environmental; they also affect human communities. Kelp forests support fisheries and tourism, sequester carbon, and protect shorelines from storms and erosion, so their decline is both an ecological and socio-economic concern.

      5. Despite the challenges, there is still hope. More research is needed for effective restoration, but some studies suggest that kelp forests have the capacity to bounce back relatively quickly if the right conditions are in place.