Submitted Ideas

Fill the gap in the science around cultivated giant kelp forests

Posted by Samantha Deane | Luderitz, Namibia

Kelp forests are understudied yet they provide a strong solution to the planets and oceans many problems. They are carbon sinks, they oxygenate and de-acidify waters, they boost biodiversity by providing food and shelter for hundreds of species, they are underwater nurseries, they filter excess nutrients etc. Cultivated giant kelp forests could be a way of increasing their impact but nobody has effectively quantified the amount of CO2 they actually sequester or by how much they increase fish stocks or biodiversity. Kelp Blue, is a commercial entity pioneering this idea and the Kelp Forest Foundation is seeking to undertake this research, but we need help.