State of the World's Kelp Report

State of the World's Kelp Report

The "State of the World's Kelp Forests" report offers an in-depth look at one of the planet's most vital yet underappreciated ecosystems. Kelp forests span coastlines across the globe, providing essential services such as carbon sequestration, supporting marine biodiversity, and generating billions of dollars through fisheries and tourism. Despite their importance, kelp forests face significant threats from climate change, overfishing, and habitat destruction.

This report compiles the latest research and data on the health of kelp forests worldwide, offering insights into the current state of protection and restoration efforts. It also highlights the socio-economic importance of these ecosystems and the urgent need for global conservation efforts to meet the targets set by the Kelp Forest Challenge and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Whether you're a policymaker, researcher, or environmental advocate, this report provides the knowledge and tools necessary to support kelp forest conservation and restoration. Download it to stay informed and take action to protect these incredible ecosystems.

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## 1.1 Kelp Forests As an ecosystem, kelp forests occupy a unique intersection.

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1.0 Introduction

## 1.1 Kelp Forests As an ecosystem, kelp forests occupy a unique intersection.
## 2.1 Key Takeaways 1. Kelp forests provide a wide range of economic and cultural services to over 750 million people around the world. 2. The potential economic value of ecosystem services in kelp forests is over $500 billion USD per year. 3. Kelp forest fisheries (lobster, abalone, fish) generate tens of millions to billions of dollars for national economies each year. 4. Nearly 800,000 tonnes of wild kelp are harvested each year. 5. Kelp forests sequester ~32 million tonnes of CO2 annually.

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2.0 Kelp Ecosystem Services

## 2.1 Key Takeaways 1. Kelp forests provide a wide range of economic and cultural services to over 750 million people around the world. 2. The potential economic value of ecosystem services...
## 3.1 Key Takeaways 1. Kelp restoration is a relatively new field compared to other ecosystem restoration projects. 2. The amount of kelp forest area restored around the world is accelerating. 3. Government-level support has led to successful restoration projects in Japan and Korea. 4. The world has restored approximately 2% (~19,000 ha) of the Kelp Forest Challenge target of one million hectares. 5. The best predictor of successful restoration is proximity to an existing forest, and the priority should always be to restore a kelp forest before it disappears.

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3.0 Kelp Area Restored

## 3.1 Key Takeaways 1. Kelp restoration is a relatively new field compared to other ecosystem restoration projects. 2. The amount of kelp forest area restored around the world is accelerating. 3. Government-level...
## 4.1 Key Takeaways 1. Most countries need to significantly increase the amount of protected kelp forest habitat over the next six years to meet their 30x30 commitments to the Global Biodiversity Framework. 2. Current data show that 16% of kelp forests are under some form of protection, but only 1.6% of kelp forests are in highly protected areas. 3. Increasing the area of kelp protected should be achieved through a combination of highly protected areas, sustainably managed areas, and traditionally managed areas. 4. 6.8% of areas are not classified in IUCN categories, and few MPA areas overall have been assessed to determine whether or not fishing is adequately managed. Addressing these gaps is a priority. 5. Protection must balance the need to limit activities like fishing while sustaining local cultures and livelihoods.

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4.0 Kelp Area Protected

## 4.1 Key Takeaways 1. Most countries need to significantly increase the amount of protected kelp forest habitat over the next six years to meet their 30x30 commitments to the Global...
## 5.1 Key Takeaways\ 1. There is a growing global kelp conservation community, with hundreds of active people working across 25 countries. 2. Academic and NGO groups represent over 50% of the kelp conservation community, which also includes Indigenous Peoples, business, government, media, community and educational groups, impact investors and philanthropists. 3. There are a growing number of alliances, working groups, and resources available to help empower future kelp protection and restoration efforts.

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5.0 Kelp Community

## 5.1 Key Takeaways\ 1. There is a growing global kelp conservation community, with hundreds of active people working across 25 countries. 2. Academic and NGO groups represent over 50% of the...
The dissemination and consolidation of knowledge are critical for advancing efforts and ensuring sustainable practices in kelp restoration. Projects are often led by scientists, resulting in lessons buried within academic literature and creating barriers for practitioners, rights holders, policymakers, and the public. To bridge this gap, the global community has coalesced in recent years around products and working groups. Sharing resources through open-access platforms and centralised repositories ensures that valuable insights, from both successes and failures, foster a realistic understanding of restoration processes, and ultimately accelerate the collective learning curve and enhance effectiveness of restoration projects. Below, we share a non-exhaustive list of some of the main resources available to kelp practitioners today.

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6.0 Key Kelp Resources

The dissemination and consolidation of knowledge are critical for advancing efforts and ensuring sustainable practices in kelp restoration. Projects are often led by scientists, resulting in lessons buried within academic...
## 7.1 Key Takeaways 1. Together, there are 25 countries with significant kelp forest populations. 2. By area, five countries: Canada, the United States of America, Russia, United Kingdom contain over 50% of globally estimated kelp habitat. 3. In the Southern hemisphere, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina have the most kelp habitat (278,000 km2 collectively). 4. Estimating the potential kelp area will always create higher numbers than the observed kelp forest. 5. Improving country-level maps of kelp forest habitat is a key priority.

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7.0 Kelp Distribution (Methods Appendix)

## 7.1 Key Takeaways 1. Together, there are 25 countries with significant kelp forest populations. 2. By area, five countries: Canada, the United States of America, Russia, United Kingdom contain over 50%...
## 8.1 Protected Area Database For this analysis, we used the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), which is collaboratively managed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The WDPA is one of the most comprehensive global datasets on terrestrial and marine protected areas, including data on the geographic location, size, legal status, governance, and conservation objectives of each site. Data was sourced from the Protected Planet website, which provides up-to-date and authoritative information through monthly updates supplied by national governments, non-governmental organizations, and other contributing entities (accurate as of January 2024). The dataset uses the IUCN’s protected area categorization to signify which activities are restricted in the area. These areas range from Ia (no extractive or destructive activities allowed) to VI (some extractive or destructive activities allowed). MPAs which were not classified were reported as “Not Reported”, “Not Assigned”, or “Not Applicable” (Table of classifications and breakdown).

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8.0 Kelp Area Protected (Methods Appendix)

## 8.1 Protected Area Database For this analysis, we used the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), which is collaboratively managed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International...
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