One of the most important types of forest on Earth is mostly invisible to humans. Can you guess where it is or what type of forest it is?
Spot on if you guessed an ocean kelp forest!
Kelp forests are made up of kelp, a type of brown algae. There are over 100 species of kelp in the ocean. Some types grow as tall as 53 meters (174 feet). Kelp forests grow along the coasts of every continent in cold, nutrient-filled waters. Only three types of kelp are visible from above: bull kelp, giant kelp, and bamboo kelp.
Kelp make their food through photosynthesis, like plants do. However, they are only distantly related to plants.
Because kelp forests are underwater, we do not notice them. It is hard to camp or hike in a kelp forest. However, kelp forests provide essential habitat and food for species as large as the humpback whale and as small as tiny sea snails. Thousands of species live in kelp forests and depend on them for food and shelter.
Kelp forests also help life on land. Kelp forests provide natural barriers to storm surges and store carbon, fighting climate change. Scientists estimate that kelp forests provide more than $500 billion in ecosystem services annually.
Despite their importance, kelp forests are not well protected. Kelp scientists analyzed how many kelp forests are in protected areas. Worldwide, they found only 15.9% of kelp forests are protected. Less than 2% of kelp forests are in areas with high protection.
“Kelp forests are often forgotten,” explains Aaron Eger, program director at Kelp Forest Alliance. The Kelp Forest Alliance is a network of more than 200 conservationists, kelp lovers, and seaweed professionals headquartered in Sydney, Australia. “This is the first global assessment of where kelp forests are, where they’re threatened, how much of that has been restored, where it’s been lost and how much of that is actively protected and managed to try to safeguard those habitats and prevent them from further decline,” says Aaron.
The Kelp Forest Alliance launched the Kelp Forest Challenge. This challenge is an effort to restore 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) of kelp forest.
The world’s current leader in kelp restoration is South Korea. South Korea is working to restore 29,000 hectares (71,660 acres) of kelp forest.
David Brown adapted this story for Mongabay Kids. It is based on an article by Alexandra Talty, published on Mongabay News:
