{
    "componentChunkName": "component---src-gatsby-entities-page-tsx",
    "path": "/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/1-0-introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests",
    "result": {"data":{"platform":{"page":{"id":"6ad4bfee21102692df90075d","slug":"1-0-introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/1-0-introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests","name":"1.0 Introduction – Welcome to Kelp Forests","__typename":"Platform_Page","_schema":{"label":"Page","pluralLabel":"Pages"},"title":null,"pretitle":null,"subtitle":null,"titleRich":{"text":""},"subtitleRich":{"text":""},"content":{"text":"## **1.1 Kelp forests**\n\n**Simply put, kelp forests are the forests of the sea.**\n\nKelp forests sit at a striking ecological and social crossroads. Kelp forests occur along a third of the world’s coastlines (Figure 1.1), and more than 950 million people live within 50 km of one1. These giant seaweed forests are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth.\n\nCollectively, they generate an estimated US$500 billion in potential value each year[2](/citation/sowk2-1-2/). They also support an extraordinary range of life, from microscopic bacteria to sharks and whales. People are equally connected to these underwater forests through the food, livelihoods, cultural values, coastal protection, and other benefits they provide.\n\nYet despite their scale and importance, kelp forests remain poorly recognised in many parts of the world. They are often absent from public awareness, overlooked in environmental planning, and inconsistently defined in policy and regulation. In most countries, only a very small share of environmental funding is directed towards kelp forests. As a result, they are generally less well mapped, studied, monitored, managed, and protected than terrestrial forests, coral reefs, mangroves, or seagrass meadows.\n\nThis situation is, however, beginning to change. Kelp forest protection, sustainable management, and restoration are expanding, supported by a growing funding pool and a broader network of practitioners, communities, governments, and researchers. Public awareness is also increasing, helping kelp forests move from relative obscurity towards a more prominent place in conversations about ocean health.\n\nThis momentum comes at an important time. Global interest is growing in approaches such as nature-positive development, blue carbon, and biodiversity credits. These emerging policy, finance, and market frameworks could create significant opportunities for kelp forests, but only if they are recognised clearly and represented credibly. The challenge now is to ensure that greater visibility translates into sustained investment, stronger policy, better knowledge, and effective conservation.\n\n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad55e6fbb1292c866292933\" />\n\nFigure 1.1. Global kelp forest distribution, showing regions with both Laminariales and Fucales, regions with fucoids only, and regions with minor kelp populations[1](/citation/sowk2-1-1/).\n\n### ***1.1.1 What is kelp?***\n\nKelp is both an organism and a habitat. As an organism, kelp is a structurally complex brown seaweed (see full list [here](https://media.springernature.com/original/springer-static/esm/art%3A10.1007%2Fs10811-023-03103-y/MediaObjects/10811_2023_3103_MOESM1_ESM.xlsx)) that creates a canopy. Most kelp belong to the taxonomic orders Laminariales and Fucales and are referred to as macroalgae: large, visible algae or seaweeds.  \n\n*All kelps are a type of seaweed, but not all seaweeds are a type of kelp.* \n\nKelps are attached to the seafloor, grow vertically, create a leafy structure and canopy, absorb carbon and produce oxygen, and cycle nutrients. Several kelp together create a kelp forest, although the term ‘kelp forest’ does not have a strict definition. Kelps create unique, complex homes for animals in their blades (“leaves”), stipes (“trunks”, “stems”), and holdfasts (“roots”), and their very presence defines the ecosystem (Figure 1.2).\n\n### ***1.1.2 Distribution and depth***\n\nKelp forests are mostly subtidal (always under water), extending from the water’s edge down to 15–25 metres, within sunlight’s reach. In particularly clear waters, they can live at depths of up to 40–60 metres and, in very rare instances, all the way down to 200 metres. Kelp forests are cold-water (approximately 0–25 °C) ecosystems and are distributed on every continent from the subtropics to the poles. The only kelp forests in the tropics are in very deep waters, and they occupy a very small area.\n\n### ***1.1.3 Meet the kelp***\n\nKelp species come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from tens of centimetres to tens of metres tall. \n\n**Surface canopy:** These species are over 10 metres tall from the seafloor to the surface. They have a strong holdfast gripping them to the seafloor, flexible stipes, and dense canopies that float on the surface, where they can often be seen from shore or by satellite. \n\n**Mid-water canopy:** These kelps have stiff, tree-trunk-like stipes that grow upright in the water, with leaves growing from the top. They live only beneath the waves and do not usually break the surface. \n\n**Seafloor canopy:** These kelps have big leafy branches that grow from the top of the stipe down to the seafloor. This creates a dense canopy that you have to brush aside to swim through. \n\n**Intertidal canopy:** These kelps straddle the line between land and sea and form dense mats on the seafloor, where they are often exposed to the air at low tide. \n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad55f44bb1292c866292936\" />\nFigure 1.2. Kelp growth forms and examples of forest-forming species.\n\nSeveral species have captured public attention, either for their ecological and economic significance or simply because of their striking appearance. \n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad56070bb1292c86629293c\" />\n\n**Giant kelp** (Macrocystis pyrifera) is one of the most iconic species of kelp, recognised for its dense, towering forests that are vital to marine biodiversity. It is a perennial species, present all year round, and commonly found along the eastern Pacific from Alaska to Mexico. Further south, it is well distributed along the west and south coasts of South America, with populations also in New Zealand, southern Australia, and many oceanic islands in the Southern Ocean.\n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad5603ebb1292c866292939\" />\n\n**Bull kelp** (*Nereocystis luetkeana*) is found predominantly along the west coast of North America, beginning in central California and extending to the Aleutian Archipelago and further into Russia. Bull kelp is an annual species with cycles of growth, reproduction, and senescence (ageing and decline) each year. It gets its common name from its bullwhip-like form and has been an important part of Indigenous cultures in North America for millennia. \n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad56086bb1292c86629293f\" />\n\n**Golden kelp** (*Ecklonia radiata*) forms extensive forests in the western Pacific and is the key component of the Great Southern Reef on the southern half of Australia. \n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad5609ebb1292c866292942\" />\n\n**Bamboo kelp** (*Ecklonia maxima*) is found only off the coast of South Africa, and sharks weave through its towering trunks. It was recently featured in the Oscar-winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher. \n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad560b7bb1292c866292945\" /> \n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad560cabb1292c866292948\" />\n\n**Laminaria and Saccharina** are known for the big, broad leaves of many of their species. These species are well known for their use in food (known as kombu in Japan), are often grown for aquaculture, and have many important medical and chemical derivatives. They are widespread across the Pacific, North Atlantic, and Arctic. \n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad560e1bb1292c86629294b\" />\n\n**Lessonia** species are native to the southern Pacific Ocean. As they are often intertidal and subtidal, they provide important connections between habitats in coastal zones. Lessonia species support one of the largest wild harvests of kelp on the planet. \n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad560ffbb1292c86629294e\" />\n\nThe **Cystoseira**, **Cystophora**, and Fucus fucoid kelps create shorter, dense meadows of kelp habitat along rocky seashores but are also found in subtidal regions.\n\n## **1.2 Threats and stressors**\n\nThreats to kelp forests can generally be categorised into three main categories.\n\nOcean warming: Short-lived marine heatwaves or prolonged periods of elevated water temperature can push kelp beyond their biological limits and interfere with growth, reproduction, and survival, while also amplifying the impacts of overgrazing.\n\nOvergrazing: An overabundance of animals that eat kelp forests, often linked to ecological imbalance such as predator loss (sea otters, sunflower sea stars, wolffish, lobsters, and predatory fish) or range expansions of grazers.\n\nNutrient and physical disturbances: Activities that physically destroy kelp or disrupt part of its life cycle. Examples include removal for harvest or development, light limitation (excess sedimentation or nutrients), sediment scouring of kelp spores from the seafloor, or a lack of nutrients needed for growth.\n\nWhile we focus on the three key drivers described above, additional reasons for local kelp decline include invasive species, freshwater outflows, ice scouring, or diseases.\n\nAt the global scale, experts rank warming as the greatest threat, followed by overgrazing, and then physical disturbances. The effects of these stressors vary locally, regionally, and globally (Figure 1.3).\n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad5637abb1292c866292951\" />\n\n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad5693ebb1292c86629295d\" />\n\n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad563a4bb1292c866292954\" />\n\n\nFigure 1.3. Expert assessments of stressors contributing to kelp forest decline. Summary scores are shown above the regional map. See Section 9.1 for the survey methods.\n\n## **1.3 Kelp Forest Health**\n\nThe broad global pattern is one of decline, although kelp forest condition varies considerably among regions (Figure 1.4). Long-term datasets indicate that roughly 40–60% of kelp forests have experienced reductions in abundance globally.[3](/citation/sowk2-1-3/) The kelp forests which have experienced the greatest losses are concentrated near the warm edges of kelp distributions, where marine heatwaves compound ongoing ocean warming and can drive rapid, large-scale collapse. In some of these locations, kelp forests are replaced by other seaweeds and species better adapted to warmer conditions, making natural recovery and restoration more difficult.\n\nAcross temperate, mid-latitude regions, kelp forests are more commonly stable. If degraded, losses are usually less severe than in warm-edge populations. The state of kelp health depends on how local temperature trends interact with other pressures, including harvesting and intense grazing by sea urchins. These populations often show greater capacity to persist through, or recover from, extreme heat than kelp forests already living near their upper thermal limits.\n\nAt higher latitudes and in cool-water refuges, kelp forests are generally stable or expanding. In some regions, heat-tolerant species are replacing cooler-water kelps, maintaining overall cover but altering ecosystem structure and function. In the Arctic, limited evidence suggests kelp forests are largely stable or increasing, with potential for further expansion as waters warm in some areas. However, melting of glaciers, permafrost, and other ice stores may increase sedimentation and lower salinity, potentially offsetting these gains.\n\n\n## **1.4 The race to help our kelp**\n\nDecember 2022 marked the launch of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework. This landmark agreement was adopted by 196 countries and agreed to the effective protection of 30% of the world's ecosystems and the restoration of 30% of the world's degraded ecosystems by 2030 (often called 30x30).[4](/citation/sowk2-1-4/) The agreement specifies that these gains should be representative of the ecosystems in each country’s jurisdiction. As such, national targets for the protection and restoration of coastal ecosystems must be adaptive and ensure that all critical habitats are quantified and represented in these international discussions and target setting. Yet, this global conservation agenda was advancing against a backdrop where kelp forests remained consistently underrepresented. For example, a 2023 study[5](/citation/sowk2-1-5/) showed that for every mention of kelp forests in international policy documents, seagrass, salt marsh, coral reefs, and mangroves were referenced 8–43 times as often.\n\nMost importantly, there was no flagship global agenda for kelp forests, in contrast to seagrass, salt marsh, coral reefs, and mangroves. \n\nThe [Kelp Forest Challenge](/kelp-forest-challenge) was launched in February 2023[6](/citation/sowk2-1-6/) to address the critical gap in representation of kelp forests in international targets, policies, and agreements, and to ensure their inclusion in local and global marine management decisions. The Challenge is a collaboratively developed mission to save and enhance kelp forests around the world and is at the intersection of local projects and global initiatives such as 30x30. \n\nThe Kelp Forest Challenge calls for: \n\n1. The protection of 3 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040 \n\n2. The restoration of 1 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040 \n\n3. Increased awareness and appreciation of kelp forests \n\n4. US$14 billion raised to support these activities by 2040.\n\nThe Challenge provides an open, participatory, pledge-based system to incentivise kelp conservation and raise awareness. The Challenge intentionally encourages any sector of society to participate, including businesses, governments, communities, universities, and individuals. The Kelp Forest Challenge is hosted by the [Kelp Forest Alliance](http://www.kelpforestalliance.com), a global home for kelp forests that brings together people and information to help our kelp. \n\nThe Kelp Forest Challenge calls for holistic management of kelp forests, which requires a combination of strategies. These can include marine protected areas (MPAs), improved fisheries management, habitat restoration, and controlling invasive or overabundant species. This management will depend on collaborative efforts between local communities, governments, and conservation organisations, and management decisions should be grounded in scientific research, respect cultural contexts, and consider socio-economic activities to ensure sustainable and equitable outcomes for both people and marine ecosystems.\n\n### **Breakout box: Pledge spotlight**\n\nHyundai is supporting kelp forest restoration and recognition through partnerships with government agencies and local organisations.\n\nSince 2023, Hyundai has worked with South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency to support sea forest restoration along the coast of Ulsan. The initiative has included the formal naming of restored sea forests in Ulsan and the recognition of a natural sea forest near Ulleungdo.\n\nThis work has since expanded through Forests Without Names,[7](/citation/sowk2-1-7/) an initiative focused on giving previously unnamed sea forests clear, place-based identities. Sea forests in Australia and Argentina have now been named through the initiative.\n\nMany sea forests remain unnamed and poorly recognised, limiting their visibility to communities, managers, and decision-makers. Naming these ecosystems can strengthen public recognition, communication, and long-term stewardship.\n\nThe initiative illustrates how businesses can support the Kelp Forest Challenge through targeted partnerships and place-based conservation action.\n\n<ImageAsset id=\"6ad56903bb1292c86629295a\" />"},"options":{"text":""},"openGraph":{"title":null,"description":{"plain":"Key takeaways\n1. Kelp forests cover one-third of our world’s coastlines.\n2. Areas within 50 km of a kelp forest are home to 950 million people and account for 18% of global GDP.\n3. 40–60% of these systems have declined in the last 50 years.\n"},"image":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792370588/kelp-forest-alliance/page/introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests_thumbnail__1_pnu237.webp","url2x":null,"thumbnails":{"card":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/c_limit,w_480/v1792370588/kelp-forest-alliance/page/introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests_thumbnail__1_pnu237.webp","url2x":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/c_limit,w_960/v1792370588/kelp-forest-alliance/page/introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests_thumbnail__1_pnu237.webp"},"bubble":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/c_limit,w_64/v1792370588/kelp-forest-alliance/page/introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests_thumbnail__1_pnu237.webp","url2x":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/c_limit,w_128/v1792370588/kelp-forest-alliance/page/introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests_thumbnail__1_pnu237.webp"}}}},"intro":{"text":"**Key takeaways**\n\n1\\. Kelp forests cover one-third of our world’s coastlines.\n\n2\\. Areas within 50 km of a kelp forest are home to 950 million people and account for 18% of global GDP.\n\n3\\. 40–60% of these systems have declined in the last 50 years."},"outro":{"text":""},"type":{"id":"671ef8301291fdccdbaa3afd","name":"Report","slug":"report"},"themeMode":null,"bannerThemeMode":null,"orderNumber":2,"layout":{"id":"65d5940a1368b052bf6ff14c","name":"Content","slug":"content","component":"PageLayoutContent"},"authors":[{"id":"65d594121368b052bf6ff26f","name":"Kira Krumhansl","slug":"kira-krumhansl","path":"/people/kira-krumhansl","organisation":null,"linkedin":null,"photo":null,"positions":[]},{"id":"65d594131368b052bf6ff344","name":"Thomas Wernberg","slug":"thomas-wernberg","path":"/people/thomas-wernberg","organisation":null,"linkedin":null,"photo":null,"positions":[]},{"id":"65d594121368b052bf6ff262","name":"Karen Filbee-Dexter","slug":"karen-filbee-dexter","path":"/people/karen-filbee-dexter","organisation":null,"linkedin":null,"photo":null,"positions":[]},{"id":"65d594121368b052bf6ff167","name":"Adriana Vergés","slug":"adriana-verges","path":"/people/adriana-verges","organisation":{"id":"65d594011368b052bf6ff044","name":"Kelp Forest Alliance"},"linkedin":null,"photo":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/person/adriana-verges_photo__20191015_unsw_emergingthought_print-87_1_csmjkl","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1668995887/kelp-forest-alliance/person/adriana-verges_photo__20191015_unsw_emergingthought_print-87_1_csmjkl.jpg","url2x":null},"positions":[{"id":"65d594041368b052bf6ff0de","primary":true,"positions":[{"id":"65d594171368b052bf6ff443","name":"Board of Directors"}],"organisation":{"id":"65d594011368b052bf6ff044","name":"Kelp Forest Alliance"}},{"id":"65d594041368b052bf6ff0d7","primary":null,"positions":[],"organisation":{"id":"65d594011368b052bf6ff066","name":"Operation Crayweed"}},{"id":"65d594041368b052bf6ff0da","primary":true,"positions":[],"organisation":{"id":"65d594011368b052bf6ff0be","name":"University of New South Wales"}}]},{"id":"65d594121368b052bf6ff161","name":"Aaron Eger","slug":"aaron-eger","path":"/people/aaron-eger","organisation":{"id":"65d594011368b052bf6ff044","name":"Kelp Forest Alliance"},"linkedin":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-eger-9b0b8468/","photo":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/person/aaron-eger_photo__Aaron_Crayweed_jovp1d","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1727401557/kelp-forest-alliance/person/aaron-eger_photo__Aaron_Crayweed_jovp1d.jpg","url2x":null},"positions":[{"id":"65d594041368b052bf6ff0db","primary":true,"positions":[{"id":"65d594171368b052bf6ff443","name":"Board of Directors"},{"id":"65d594171368b052bf6ff474","name":"Program Director"},{"id":"65d594171368b052bf6ff45c","name":"Founder"}],"organisation":{"id":"65d594011368b052bf6ff044","name":"Kelp Forest Alliance"}},{"id":"6674e59b2a2ae97baa07b9b1","primary":null,"positions":[{"id":"65d594171368b052bf6ff45f","name":"Lecturer"}],"organisation":{"id":"65d594011368b052bf6ff0be","name":"University of New South Wales"}}]}],"files":[],"videos":[],"imageAssets":[],"people":[],"featurePosts":[],"embeds":{"citations":[{"slug":"sowk2-1-2","url":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-37385-0","name":"The value of ecosystem services in global marine kelp forests","authors":[],"authorShowsEtAl":null,"edition":null,"publication":null,"date":null,"accessDate":null,"startPage":null,"volume":null,"footnoteNumber":2,"year":null},{"slug":"sowk2-1-1","url":"https://academic.oup.com/aob/advance-article/doi/10.1093/aob/mcag226/8741807","name":"Where kelp forests meet people: an analysis of the spatial overlap among human population global economies and threats to kelp forest ecosystems","authors":[],"authorShowsEtAl":null,"edition":null,"publication":null,"date":null,"accessDate":null,"startPage":null,"volume":null,"footnoteNumber":1,"year":null},{"slug":"sowk2-1-3","url":"https://wedocs.unep.org/items/41e38d3f-e98d-45bf-8475-0defbfbc8d9e","name":"Into the Blue: Securing a Sustainable Future through Kelp Forests","authors":[],"authorShowsEtAl":null,"edition":null,"publication":null,"date":null,"accessDate":null,"startPage":null,"volume":null,"footnoteNumber":3,"year":null},{"slug":"sowk2-1-4","url":"https://www.cbd.int/gbf/targets","name":"2030 Targets (with Guidance Notes) - Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework","authors":[],"authorShowsEtAl":null,"edition":null,"publication":null,"date":null,"accessDate":null,"startPage":null,"volume":null,"footnoteNumber":4,"year":null},{"slug":"sowk2-1-5","url":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1235952/full","name":"Unseen and unheard: the invisibility of kelp forests in international environmental governance","authors":[],"authorShowsEtAl":null,"edition":null,"publication":null,"date":null,"accessDate":null,"startPage":null,"volume":null,"footnoteNumber":5,"year":null},{"slug":"sowk2-1-6","url":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10811-023-03103-y","name":"The Kelp Forest Challenge: A collaborative global movement to protect and restore 4 million hectares of kelp forests","authors":[],"authorShowsEtAl":null,"edition":null,"publication":null,"date":null,"accessDate":null,"startPage":null,"volume":null,"footnoteNumber":6,"year":null},{"slug":"sowk2-1-7","url":"http://www.forestswithoutnames.com","name":"Forests Without Names: Bringing light to the Sea Forests the World Overlooked","authors":[],"authorShowsEtAl":null,"edition":null,"publication":null,"date":null,"accessDate":null,"startPage":null,"volume":null,"footnoteNumber":7,"year":null}],"pages":[],"people":[],"imageAssets":[{"id":"6ad56903bb1292c86629295a","slug":"20131125-hammer-t-boyd-7360-x-4912-webp","name":"20131125_Hammer_TBoyd_7360x4912.webp","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/20131125-hammer-t-boyd-7360-x-4912-webp_image__20131125_Hammer_TBoyd_7360x4912_lqcbrr","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792370922/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/20131125-hammer-t-boyd-7360-x-4912-webp_image__20131125_Hammer_TBoyd_7360x4912_lqcbrr.webp","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad563a4bb1292c866292954","slug":"fig-1-3-expert-assessments-of-stressors-contributing-to-kelp-forest-decline","name":"Fig 1.3 Expert assessments of stressors contributing to kelp forest decline.","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/fig-1-3-expert-assessments-of-stressors-contributing-to-kelp-forest-decline_image__1._Fig_1.3_z2wuan","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792369545/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/fig-1-3-expert-assessments-of-stressors-contributing-to-kelp-forest-decline_image__1._Fig_1.3_z2wuan.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad5693ebb1292c86629295d","slug":"kelp-image-1","name":"Kelp image","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/kelp-image-1_image__1166.jpg_ef89kw","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792370991/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/kelp-image-1_image__1166.jpg_ef89kw.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad5637abb1292c866292951","slug":"global-stressor-levels","name":"Global stressor levels","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/global-stressor-levels_image__1._Global_stressor_levels_vx2z8u","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792369520/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/global-stressor-levels_image__1._Global_stressor_levels_vx2z8u.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad560ffbb1292c86629294e","slug":"cystoseira-map","name":"Cystoseira map","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/cystoseira-map_image__1._Cystoseira_map_tcldhy","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792368878/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/cystoseira-map_image__1._Cystoseira_map_tcldhy.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad560e1bb1292c86629294b","slug":"lessonia-map","name":"Lessonia map","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/lessonia-map_image__1._lessonia_map_zncqgc","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792368859/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/lessonia-map_image__1._lessonia_map_zncqgc.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad560cabb1292c866292948","slug":"saccharina-map","name":"Saccharina map","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/saccharina-map_image__1._Saccharina_map_ojfais","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792368835/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/saccharina-map_image__1._Saccharina_map_ojfais.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad560b7bb1292c866292945","slug":"laminaria-map","name":"Laminaria map","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/laminaria-map_image__1._Laminaria_map_k1zs0v","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792368815/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/laminaria-map_image__1._Laminaria_map_k1zs0v.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad5609ebb1292c866292942","slug":"bamboo-kelp-map","name":"Bamboo Kelp map","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/bamboo-kelp-map_image__1._Bamboo_kelp_map_ny5akb","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792368791/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/bamboo-kelp-map_image__1._Bamboo_kelp_map_ny5akb.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad56086bb1292c86629293f","slug":"golden-kelp","name":"Golden Kelp","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/golden-kelp_image__1._Golden_Kelp_map_yclacz","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792368767/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/golden-kelp_image__1._Golden_Kelp_map_yclacz.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad5603ebb1292c866292939","slug":"bull-kelp-map","name":"Bull Kelp map","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/bull-kelp-map_image__1._Bull_kelp_map_mncsrq","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792368692/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/bull-kelp-map_image__1._Bull_kelp_map_mncsrq.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad56070bb1292c86629293c","slug":"giant-kelp-map","name":"Giant kelp map","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/giant-kelp-map_image__1._Giant_kelp_map_hzzd0d","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792368744/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/giant-kelp-map_image__1._Giant_kelp_map_hzzd0d.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad55f44bb1292c866292936","slug":"figure-1-2-kelp-growth-forms-and-examples-of-forest-forming-species","name":"Figure 1.2 Kelp growth forms and examples of forest-forming species.","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/figure-1-2-kelp-growth-forms-and-examples-of-forest-forming-species_image__1._Canopy_chart_c7kin1","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792368350/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/figure-1-2-kelp-growth-forms-and-examples-of-forest-forming-species_image__1._Canopy_chart_c7kin1.png","url2x":null}},{"id":"6ad55e6fbb1292c866292933","slug":"figure-1-1-global-kelp-forest-distribution","name":"Figure 1.1 Global kelp forest distribution","image":{"id":"image_kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/figure-1-1-global-kelp-forest-distribution_image__1._Fig_1.1_agblqp","url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792368204/kelp-forest-alliance/image-asset/figure-1-1-global-kelp-forest-distribution_image__1._Fig_1.1_agblqp.png","url2x":null}}]},"parent":{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6acdd00bbdeded6c37dcd41e","name":"State of the World's Kelp 26","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26","slug":"state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26","title":"State of the World's Kelp Forests Report 2026","subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"content":{"text":""},"children":[{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad4a34121102692df900752","name":"Forewords","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/forewords","slug":"forewords","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"\n\nJulianna Sullivan – Port Gamble S’Kallam Tribe\nyaʔyáʔnəŋ̕ u cxʷ?\n(Are you listening?)\nSome of my earliest memories are sitting cross-legged on the floor of my preschool classroom, quietly watching as the grandmothers sang us our songs. In their hands was a rattle made from bull kelp, its rhythm carrying our language, our teachings, and the voices of those who came before us. Though we were taught to listen with respect and intention, there was something about the sound of the kelp rattle and the grandmothers' voices that drew us in. Even as young children, we knew those moments held something sacred.\nYears later, kelp would carry me far beyond my own shoreline.\nKelp introduced me to Indigenous relatives from coastlines I had never walked, whose languages I do not speak, yet whose hearts recognised something familiar in my own. Although our languages, traditions, and coastlines are beautifully distinct, something remarkable happened when we gathered. In every story, every laugh, every song, and every teaching, we found reflections of our own relationships with kelp. What once felt like isolated experiences became part of a much larger story—one that has been unfolding along coastlines around the world since time immemorial.\nEach gathering felt like drawing water from a deep well. Every person arrived carrying teachings from their own homeland, entrusted to them by their ancestors and communities. As those teachings were shared with humility and received with gratitude, the well grew deeper and purer. No one left with less. Somehow, we all left carrying more.\nMi'kmaq Elder Albert Marshall's teaching of Etuaptmumk, or Two-Eyed Seeing, became a guiding light for our journey. One eye recognises the strengths of our Indigenous ways of knowing, the other the strengths of Western science. It is only with both eyes open that we can better understand our kelp forests and find ways to better care for the world around us.\nAs kelp forests face unprecedented challenges, this growing circle of Indigenous kelp stewards reminds us that we are not alone. Across oceans, we are reconnecting to share knowledge, strengthen one another, and remember what the tides have always known—that the ocean connects us all.\nMy hope is that this spirit ripples outward, inspiring us to approach this work with curiosity, humility, and relationships rooted in respect, reciprocity, and care for the living world.\nw̕ yaʔyáʔnəŋ cn.\n(Yes, I am listening.)\n\n\nCraig Foster – Sea Change\nI’m at the tip of Africa in the Great African Seaforest. I watch in awe. A female pyjama shark is attempting to attach one of her eggs to a kelp holdfast by rotating her body around and around to weave the egg case thread into the kelp. Then something happened that I could never have imagined. A male pyjama shark appeared and repeatedly placed his body as protection between the female and any threat. As far as I know, this kind of protective behaviour is unknown in sharks.\nOnce the egg case was safely attached, both sharks moved away. Now the tiny shark would feed on the yolk inside the egg for at least six months before hatching, vulnerable to predation from starfish and whelks. I stared at the newly laid egg and felt a deep vulnerability in myself, because something told me that the survival of this endangered species was woven into my own survival. We feel separate, but that’s not actually the case, as biodiversity health and human health are fundamentally linked.\nOur future survival depends on our relationship with Mother Nature. Nurturing that relationship is the most important single thing we can do to support life and the coming lives of the next generation.\nKelp forests are places on Earth Mother’s body that have great wealth and density of species. They represent reservoirs of hope. They are amongst the most fragile and critical places to look after. Each act of caring and protection is an act of self-care. All our lives, animal and human, rest in her arms.\n"}},"intro":{"text":""},"orderNumber":1,"banner":null},{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad4bfee21102692df90075d","name":"1.0 Introduction – Welcome to Kelp Forests","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/1-0-introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests","slug":"1-0-introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"Key takeaways\n1. Kelp forests cover one-third of our world’s coastlines.\n2. Areas within 50 km of a kelp forest are home to 950 million people and account for 18% of global GDP.\n3. 40–60% of these systems have declined in the last 50 years.\n"}},"intro":{"text":"**Key takeaways**\n\n1\\. Kelp forests cover one-third of our world’s coastlines.\n\n2\\. Areas within 50 km of a kelp forest are home to 950 million people and account for 18% of global GDP.\n\n3\\. 40–60% of these systems have declined in the last 50 years."},"orderNumber":2,"banner":null},{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad6035902dec18e5e58419b","name":"2.0 Benefits of Kelp Forests","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/2-0-benefits-of-kelp-forests","slug":"2-0-benefits-of-kelp-forests","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"Key takeaways\n\nKelp forests provide a wide range of economic and cultural services to over 950 million people around the world.\n\nThe potential economic value of ecosystem services in kelp forests is over US$500 billion per year.\n\nKelp forest fisheries (lobster, abalone, fish) generate tens of millions to billions for national economies each year.\n\nNearly 600,000 tonnes of wild kelp are harvested each year.\n\nKelp forests are estimated to sequester approximately 32 million tonnes of CO2 annually.\n\n\n"}},"intro":{"text":"**Key takeaways**\n\n1. Kelp forests provide a wide range of economic and cultural services to over **950 million people around the world.**\n\n2. The potential economic value of ecosystem services in kelp forests is **over US$500 billion per year.**\n\n3. Kelp forest fisheries (lobster, abalone, fish) **generate tens of millions to billions for national economies each year.**\n\n4. Nearly **600,000 tonnes of wild kelp** are harvested each year.\n\n5. Kelp forests are estimated to sequester approximately **32 million tonnes of CO2 annually.**"},"orderNumber":3,"banner":{"name":"Kelp chapter 2","slug":"kelp-chapter-2","alternateText":null,"thumbnail":null}},{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad607a102dec18e5e584222","name":"3.0 Conservation Actions and Priorities","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/3-0-conservation-actions-and-priorities","slug":"3-0-conservation-actions-and-priorities","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"Key takeaways\n1) As the threats facing kelp forests are diverse, so are the methods for conserving, protecting, and managing these ecosystems. There is no universal approach, and conservation must be adapted to the local context.2) Monitoring is the most common type of kelp conservation used across regions.3) Communities are increasingly involved in kelp conservation projects.4) Indigenous stewardship, based on deep connections to local kelp forests, provides a complementary model for kelp conservation.\n"}},"intro":{"text":"## Key takeaways\n\n1) As the **threats facing kelp forests are diverse**, so are the methods for conserving, protecting, and managing these ecosystems. There is no universal approach, and conservation must be adapted to the local context.   \n2) Monitoring is the most common type of kelp conservation used across regions.  \n3) Communities are increasingly involved in kelp conservation projects.  \n4) Indigenous stewardship, based on deep connections to local kelp forests, provides a complementary model for kelp conservation."},"orderNumber":4,"banner":null},{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad6116f02dec18e5e584292","name":"4.0 Protected Areas","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/4-0-protected-areas","slug":"4-0-protected-areas","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"Key Takeaways\n\nAround 23% of the global kelp biome overlaps with a protected area. This is an increase from 16% in 2024.  \nThirteen regions have more than 30% of their kelp biome within protected areas, while 23 regions remain below this level.  \nProtected-area coverage is highest in regions including the Sub-Antarctic Islands, Atlantic France, Japan, South Australia, Atlantic Spain and Portugal, the Mediterranean, California, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Western Australia, Washington, and Chile.  \nStrong protection of kelp forest ecosystems is very rare. Only 1.2% of the global kelp biome can currently be confidently identified as highly protected, with an additional 1.86% identified as moderately protected.  \nSeveral regions remain particularly under-protected, including Aotearoa New Zealand, the Russian and Canadian Arctic, eastern Canada, China, and Tasmania.\n\n"}},"intro":{"text":"Key Takeaways\n\n1. Around **23% of the global kelp biome** overlaps with a **protected area. This is an increase from 16%** in 2024.  \n2. **Thirteen regions have more than 30% of their kelp biome within protected areas,** while 23 regions remain below this level.  \n3. Protected-area coverage is highest in regions including the Sub-Antarctic Islands, Atlantic France, Japan, South Australia, Atlantic Spain and Portugal, the Mediterranean, California, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Western Australia, Washington, and Chile.  \n4. Strong protection of kelp forest ecosystems is very rare. **Only 1.2% of the global kelp biome** can currently be confidently **identified as highly protected**, with an additional 1.86% identified as moderately protected.  \n5. Several regions remain particularly under-protected, including Aotearoa New Zealand, the Russian and Canadian Arctic, eastern Canada, China, and Tasmania."},"orderNumber":5,"banner":null},{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad618a702dec18e5e5842b7","name":"5.0 Restoration","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/5-0-restoration","slug":"5-0-restoration","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"Chapter at a glance\nRestoration is expanding around the world, but progress remains uneven. A small number of larger programmes are showing that kelp forests can be restored at meaningful scales, while many projects remain small, experimental, or difficult to sustain and expand. Here, we highlight the main approaches being used and examine examples where restoration has succeeded at scale, focusing on the methods, partnerships, funding, and long-term management that have helped make recovery possible.\n"}},"intro":{"text":"**Chapter at a glance**\n\nRestoration is expanding around the world, but progress remains uneven. A small number of larger programmes are showing that kelp forests can be restored at meaningful scales, while many projects remain small, experimental, or difficult to sustain and expand. Here, we highlight the main approaches being used and examine examples where restoration has succeeded at scale, focusing on the methods, partnerships, funding, and long-term management that have helped make recovery possible."},"orderNumber":6,"banner":null},{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad61c2202dec18e5e5842d1","name":"6.0 New Technologies","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/6-0-new-technologies","slug":"6-0-new-technologies","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"Chapter at a glance\nTechnology has an important role to play in making kelp forest conservation more effective and more efficient. While the field has received little dedicated research and development compared to terrestrial and coral systems, we are seeing the emergence of innovative approaches and creative applications of technologies developed for other settings to improve kelp forest health. Here we highlight some emerging and established technologies that will help drive the future of kelp forest conservation.\n"}},"intro":{"text":"**Chapter at a glance**\n\nTechnology has an important role to play in making kelp forest conservation more effective and more efficient. While the field has received little dedicated research and development compared to terrestrial and coral systems, we are seeing the emergence of innovative approaches and creative applications of technologies developed for other settings to improve kelp forest health. Here we highlight some emerging and established technologies that will help drive the future of kelp forest conservation."},"orderNumber":7,"banner":null},{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad6202f02dec18e5e584320","name":"7.0 Policy and Funding Advances","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/7-0-policy-and-funding-advances","slug":"7-0-policy-and-funding-advances","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"Chapter at a glance\nPolicy and funding can determine whether kelp conservation remains a collection of local projects or grows into coordinated, long-term action. Around the world, governments and partners are beginning to set clearer targets, strengthen regulation, build dedicated coordination structures, and invest in restoration and monitoring. Here, we highlight examples of how policy, funding, and governance are creating the conditions needed to support kelp conservation at meaningful scales.\n"}},"intro":{"text":"**Chapter at a glance**\n\nPolicy and funding can determine whether kelp conservation remains a collection of local projects or grows into coordinated, long-term action. Around the world, governments and partners are beginning to set clearer targets, strengthen regulation, build dedicated coordination structures, and invest in restoration and monitoring. Here, we highlight examples of how policy, funding, and governance are creating the conditions needed to support kelp conservation at meaningful scales."},"orderNumber":8,"banner":null},{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad629a902dec18e5e5843ac","name":"8.0 Communities and Communications","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/8-0-communities-and-communications","slug":"8-0-communities-and-communications","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"Chapter at a glance\nProtecting and restoring kelp forests is as much about connecting people to these systems as it is about science and policy. People have expressed their connection to and the importance of kelp forests in many forms, from paint to poetry to podcasts. Here, we highlight some of our favourite examples of artistic expression and communication about kelp forests.\n"}},"intro":{"text":"**Chapter at a glance**\n\nProtecting and restoring kelp forests is as much about connecting people to these systems as it is about science and policy. People have expressed their connection to and the importance of kelp forests in many forms, from paint to poetry to podcasts. Here, we highlight some of our favourite examples of artistic expression and communication about kelp forests."},"orderNumber":9,"banner":null},{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad62b9402dec18e5e5843d9","name":"9.0 Methods","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/9-0-methods","slug":"9-0-methods","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"9.1 Expert opinion survey\nThis assessment draws on a structured global survey of kelp forest experts, practitioners, and managers. Participants provided information only for regions where they had substantial knowledge or experience.\nThe survey assessed four aspects of kelp forest conservation: threats and stressors, current conservation action, capacity to respond, and ecosystem benefits. Sixteen indicators were scored using consistent criteria, allowing broad comparisons among regions.\nResponses were combined to produce regional summaries and to identify places where conservation action and capacity may not be keeping pace with the pressures facing kelp forests.\nThe results represent expert-informed assessments rather than direct measurements of ecological condition or management effectiveness. The number of respondents and the availability of evidence varied among regions, so findings from areas with limited responses should be interpreted cautiously and alongside other available information.\n9.2 Kelp protection analysis\nWe estimated how much of the global kelp biome overlaps with marine protected areas and how strong that protection is likely to be.\nThe kelp biome was represented using a global model of potential kelp distribution1, restricted to waters shallower than 60 metres. This captures the broad environmental range in which kelp forests may occur, but it is not a direct map of observed kelp. It may overestimate habitat because it does not account for the availability of rocky reef, while also underestimating kelp distribution in places that were inaccurately modelled.\nWe overlaid this biome layer with two complementary protected-area datasets. The World Database on Protected Areas was used to estimate the overall area of kelp habitat located within designated protected areas. ProtectedSeas’ Level of Fishing Protection dataset was used to assess the strength of fishing restrictions within those areas, with a focus on moderately and highly protected sites.\nWhere protected areas overlapped, each location was assigned to the highest applicable protection category to avoid double-counting. These results indicate the spatial extent and likely regulatory strength of protection, but they do not directly measure enforcement, management effectiveness, or ecological outcomes.\n\nFigure 9.1 Overview of the kelp protection analysis. Habitat and protected-area layers are overlaid to estimate spatial overlap. See Section 9.2 for the habitat layer and protection datasets used in this report."}},"intro":{"text":""},"orderNumber":10,"banner":null},{"__typename":"Platform_Page","id":"6ad62c4c02dec18e5e5843e8","name":"10.0 Closing","path":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/10-0-closing","slug":"10-0-closing","title":null,"subtitle":null,"pretitle":null,"openGraph":{"description":{"plain":"The state of the world’s kelp forests remains mixed. Kelp forests continue to be lost, oceans are warming, and overabundant grazers remain a major challenge.\n"}},"intro":{"text":"The state of the world’s kelp forests remains mixed. Kelp forests continue to be lost, oceans are warming, and overabundant grazers remain a major challenge."},"orderNumber":11,"banner":null}]},"featurePages":[],"marqueePages":[],"children":[],"banners":[],"slices":[]}}},"pageContext":{"lang":{"id":"en","path":"","iso":"en","name":"English","label":"English"},"availableEntities":["Event","FeedEntry","Location","Organisation","Page","Post","Region","RestorationProject","Video","Publications","Entity","Citation","Guidebook","ProjectCaseStudy"],"detailEntities":["Event","FeedEntry","Location","Organisation","Page","Post","Region","RestorationProject","Video"],"site":{"id":"65d5942d1368b052bf6ff61d","slug":"kelp-forest-alliance","name":"Kelp Forest Alliance","url":"https://kelpforestalliance.com","title":"Kelp Forest Alliance","twitter":"https://twitter.com/KelpAlliance","threads":null,"facebook":null,"linkedin":null,"instagram":"https://www.instagram.com/kelpforestalliance/","flickr":null,"tiktok":null,"youtube":null,"ownerName":"Kelp Forest Alliance","recaptchaKey":"6Lfl7VwfAAAAAOJxnHRx2kG4qi8tvJrPChLwnBQe","googleSiteVerification":"K1GoJFry3_dyRlU2TBFIQE0nvAqMISP5yB_AKdaXZ2Q","platformName":"The Kelp Forest Alliance Network","platformUrl":"https://community.kelpforestalliance.com","supportEmail":null,"contactEmail":null,"mainMenu":null,"linearMenu":null,"entityViews":[],"entityAppViews":[],"entityOnboardingViews":[],"gptLanguages":[],"gptQuestionTemplate":null,"advertisements":[],"logoVerticalOffset":null,"logoHorizontalOffset":null,"logoVerticalOffsetMobile":null,"logoHorizontalOffsetMobile":null,"logoVerticalOffsetTablet":null,"logoHorizontalOffsetTablet":null,"logoVerticalOffsetDesktop":null,"logoHorizontalOffsetDesktop":null,"logoHeightMobile":null,"logoHeightTablet":null,"logoHeightDesktop":null,"headerHeightMobile":null,"headerHeightTablet":null,"headerHeightDesktop":null,"logo":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1685318951/kelp-forest-alliance/site/kelp-forest-alliance_logo__kelp-forest-alliance_wfwae0.png.png","type":"image/png","width":813,"height":394},"logoInverted":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1685319067/kelp-forest-alliance/site/kelp-forest-alliance_logoInverted__kelp-forest-alliance-inverted_fvrp2g.png.png","type":"image/png","width":446,"height":216},"footerMenu":null,"footerSecondaryMenu":null,"footerContent":{"text":""},"creator":null,"poweredBy":{"id":"65d594011368b052bf6ff083","name":"Shapeable","slug":"shapeable","url":"https://shapeable.ai","logo":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1685320264/kelp-forest-alliance/organisation/shapeable_logo__shapeable_g0irbu.png.png","type":"image/png","width":392,"height":118},"logoInverted":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1685320252/kelp-forest-alliance/organisation/shapeable_logoInverted__shapeable-inverted_jklhmv.png.png","type":"image/png","width":392,"height":118},"logoSubtle":null},"poweredByLabel":null,"poweredByContent":{"text":""},"explorerPage":null,"termsPage":null,"homePage":null,"knowledgeHubPage":null,"privacyPolicyPage":null,"summary":{"text":"Kelp forests cover a third of the world’s coastlines and support hundreds of millions of people, but they are disappearing. The Kelp Forest Alliance is a collaborative home that brings together people and organisations to enhance, protect, and restore these incredible ecosystems."},"thumbnail":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1671168583/kelp-forest-alliance/site/kelp-forest-alliance_thumbnail__kelp-forest-alliance-thumb_kxdqwl.jpg.jpg"},"openGraph":{"title":"Kelp Forest Alliance","date":"2026-10-20T02:39:18.04","description":{"plain":"Kelp forests cover a third of the world’s coastlines and support hundreds of millions of people, but they are disappearing. The Kelp Forest Alliance is a collaborative home that brings together people and organisations to enhance, protect, and restore these incredible ecosystems.\n"},"image":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1671168583/kelp-forest-alliance/site/kelp-forest-alliance_thumbnail__kelp-forest-alliance-thumb_kxdqwl.jpg.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","thumbnails":{"full":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1671168583/kelp-forest-alliance/site/kelp-forest-alliance_thumbnail__kelp-forest-alliance-thumb_kxdqwl.jpg.jpg"}}}},"termsAndConditions":{"text":""},"privacyPolicy":{"text":""},"welcomeUrl":"https://kelpforestalliance.com/app/welcome","welcomeTitle":null,"invitationAction":"join the Kelp Forest Alliance community","setupCompletionMessage":null,"languages":[],"brandColors":[],"showLogin":null,"showShareMenu":null,"showFollowMenu":true,"showPlatformLogin":true,"showContactUs":true,"loginLabel":null,"platformLoginLabel":"Community Login","headerButtons":[{"id":"65d593f91368b052bf6feee3","name":"Make a Pledge","slug":"make-a-pledge","page":null,"label":"Make A Pledge","url":"https://forms.office.com/r/K38JkuWRa8","isDownload":null,"color":{"id":"65d593d31368b052bf6feaed","name":"Orange Overlay","slug":"orange-overlay","value":"#F7921DDD"},"icon":{"id":"65d593ea1368b052bf6fec71","name":"Pledge","slug":"pledge","component":"PledgeIcon"}},{"id":"65d593f91368b052bf6feee8","name":"Support Us","slug":"support-us","page":{"id":"65d594091368b052bf6ff141","path":"/support-us","name":"Support Us","title":"Support Us","disabled":null,"openGraph":{"image":{"thumbnails":{"full":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1669098159/kelp-forest-alliance/banner/bull-kelp_image__Bull_kelp_split_shot_Grant_Callegari_Hakai_Institute_rvystb.jpg.jpg"}}}}},"label":null,"url":null,"isDownload":null,"color":{"id":"65d593d31368b052bf6feaeb","name":"Ocean Blue Overlay","slug":"ocean-blue-overlay","value":"#1999B599"},"icon":{"id":"65d593ea1368b052bf6fec6c","name":"Heart Circle","slug":"heart-circle","component":"HeartCircleIcon"}}],"metrics":{"totalRestored":19071,"totalProtected":6,"totalRestorationPledged":55422,"totalProtectionPledged":1596735,"totalRestorationPledgeTarget2030":200000,"totalProtectionPledgeTarget2030":1000000,"totalRestorationPledgeTarget2040":1000000,"totalProtectionPledgeTarget2040":3000000,"totalCarbonCapturedPerYear":486080,"totalFishBiomassPerYear":115887,"totalJobsCreated":0,"totalNutrientsRemoved":107683,"totalVisitorDays":0,"countRestorationProjects":285,"countCitations":538,"countSpecies":91,"countGenuses":32,"countPeople":892,"countOrganisations":423,"countOrganisationsByQuarter":[{"key":"2021-Q1","value":96},{"key":"2021-Q2","value":150},{"key":"2021-Q3","value":154},{"key":"2021-Q4","value":154},{"key":"2022-Q1","value":157},{"key":"2022-Q2","value":159},{"key":"2022-Q3","value":164},{"key":"2022-Q4","value":165},{"key":"2023-Q1","value":183},{"key":"2023-Q2","value":194},{"key":"2023-Q3","value":194},{"key":"2023-Q4","value":208},{"key":"2024-Q1","value":208},{"key":"2024-Q2","value":295},{"key":"2024-Q3","value":320},{"key":"2024-Q4","value":374},{"key":"2025-Q1","value":378},{"key":"2025-Q2","value":380},{"key":"2025-Q3","value":382},{"key":"2025-Q4","value":383},{"key":"2026-Q1","value":409},{"key":"2026-Q2","value":423}],"countPeopleByQuarter":[{"key":"2021-Q1","value":138},{"key":"2021-Q2","value":200},{"key":"2021-Q3","value":209},{"key":"2021-Q4","value":212},{"key":"2022-Q1","value":214},{"key":"2022-Q2","value":331},{"key":"2022-Q3","value":358},{"key":"2022-Q4","value":375},{"key":"2023-Q1","value":423},{"key":"2023-Q2","value":462},{"key":"2023-Q3","value":474},{"key":"2023-Q4","value":497},{"key":"2024-Q1","value":518},{"key":"2024-Q2","value":526},{"key":"2024-Q3","value":553},{"key":"2024-Q4","value":613},{"key":"2025-Q1","value":652},{"key":"2025-Q2","value":672},{"key":"2025-Q3","value":754},{"key":"2025-Q4","value":763},{"key":"2026-Q1","value":832},{"key":"2026-Q2","value":848},{"key":"2026-Q3","value":862},{"key":"2026-Q4","value":892}],"organisationTypePercentages":[{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff0ff","name":"Academia"},"percentage":27.89598108747045},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff102","name":"Government"},"percentage":13.47517730496454},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff108","name":"Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)"},"percentage":12.76595744680851},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff104","name":"Industry"},"percentage":11.11111111111111},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff101","name":"Corporation"},"percentage":6.382978723404255},{"entity":{"id":"6674e6bc2a2ae97baa07b9ca","name":"Research Institute"},"percentage":3.546099290780142},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff100","name":"Community Group"},"percentage":2.3640661938534278},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff109","name":"Philanthropy"},"percentage":2.3640661938534278},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff106","name":"Media"},"percentage":2.3640661938534278},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff107","name":"Member Network"},"percentage":2.127659574468085},{"entity":{"id":"6674f3bc2a2ae97baa07ba83","name":"Education"},"percentage":1.6548463356973995},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff103","name":"Impact Investment"},"percentage":1.6548463356973995},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff105","name":"Intergovernmental"},"percentage":0.7092198581560284},{"entity":{"id":"67a15b837dc7fd73e5ff3a5b","name":"Sports Organisation"},"percentage":0.2364066193853428},{"entity":{"id":"65d594081368b052bf6ff0fe","name":"Indigenous Government"},"percentage":0.2364066193853428}],"topRestoredByCountry":[{"entity":{"id":"65d593df1368b052bf6febe2","name":"South Korea"},"total":14738.62431},{"entity":{"id":"65d593df1368b052bf6febfb","name":"United States of America"},"total":2978.6139999999996},{"entity":{"id":"65d593df1368b052bf6feb94","name":"Japan"},"total":1156.0359899999999},{"entity":{"id":"65d593df1368b052bf6febc0","name":"Norway"},"total":110.40469999999999}],"topProtectedByCountry":[{"entity":{"id":"65d593df1368b052bf6feb46","name":"Australia"},"total":6},{"entity":{"id":"65d593df1368b052bf6feb67","name":"Croatia"},"total":0},{"entity":{"id":"65d593df1368b052bf6febb3","name":"Morocco"},"total":0},{"entity":{"id":"65d593df1368b052bf6febcb","name":"Portugal"},"total":0}],"topRestoredBySpecies":[{"entity":{"id":"65d594471368b052bf6ff886","name":"Ecklonia"},"total":12689.945807999999},{"entity":{"id":"65d594471368b052bf6ff892","name":"Saccharina"},"total":6212.52769},{"entity":{"id":"65d594471368b052bf6ff893","name":"Sargassum"},"total":3179.96427},{"entity":{"id":"65d594471368b052bf6ff88d","name":"Macrocystis"},"total":2972.7808999999997}],"topProtectedBySpecies":[{"entity":{"id":"65d594471368b052bf6ff886","name":"Ecklonia"},"total":6},{"entity":{"id":"6a263a129a32124b2b3b65da","name":"Ericaria"},"total":0},{"entity":{"id":"6a143e3a4642a9269a5d10b2","name":"Myagropsis"},"total":0},{"entity":{"id":"65d594471368b052bf6ff887","name":"Eisenia"},"total":0}]}},"includeProfile":false,"disableProfileEditing":false,"dynamicEntityTypeNames":[],"id":"6ad4bfee21102692df90075d","slug":"1-0-introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests","entityPath":"/state-of-the-worlds-kelp-26/1-0-introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests","name":"1.0 Introduction – Welcome to Kelp Forests","openGraph":{"title":null,"date":"2026-10-20T00:58:17.49","description":{"plain":"Key takeaways\n1. Kelp forests cover one-third of our world’s coastlines.\n2. Areas within 50 km of a kelp forest are home to 950 million people and account for 18% of global GDP.\n3. 40–60% of these systems have declined in the last 50 years.\n"},"image":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792370588/kelp-forest-alliance/page/introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests_thumbnail__1_pnu237.webp","type":"image/webp","thumbnails":{"full":{"url":"https://res.cloudinary.com/shapeable/image/upload/v1792370588/kelp-forest-alliance/page/introduction-welcome-to-kelp-forests_thumbnail__1_pnu237.webp"}}}},"entityTypeName":"Page","updated":"2026-10-20T00:58:17.49","__type":"Page"}},
    "staticQueryHashes": ["1044227382","1158597448","1242646999","1452322194","1520036161","1586309863","1606754935","1696996317","1903214493","1989845544","2034981229","2097402925","2181044613","2192165629","239250450","2409034939","2463401854","2642656775","2862279633","2910164142","2912920178","3005265507","3073584486","3172506128","3279749696","3320076387","3624873332","364221563","3692255024","3778988535","3782604890","4216505212","701411134","758936535","881103158"]}