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Including kelp in global conservation conversations
Original story by Alexandra Talty
Kelp forests provide a wealth of crucial ecosystem functions in our ocean. They not only provide habitat and food for a diverse range of marine creatures, but also serve as natural barriers against climate change-induced disasters.
The problem: kelp forests are declining globally and their conservation efforts are often overlooked, says Aaron Eger, program director at Kelp Forest Alliance.
To shine a light on the pressing issue, Eger and other members of the research-focused Kelp Forest Alliance recently published journal commentary aimed to make it easier for kelp forest protection to be included in global treaties. When refining existing kelp forest biome maps then overlaying marine protected areas onto the view for more accuracy, they estimated that 15.9% of kelp forests around the world are in protected areas, but only 1.6% were in areas with the highest level of protection.
“The study of Eger and colleagues sounds [a] strong alarm over conservation of biodiverse kelps forests that are fundamentally cold-water species and are rapidly lost due to ocean warming,” said Wrigley Institute faculty affiliate and USC Dornsife Professor of Biological Sciences Sergey Nuzhdin.