Earth is like a beautifully crafted quilt, sewn together over billions of years by the skilled hands of “Grandma Nature.” This metaphor captures the essence of “Patchwork Earth,” a term often used by environmentalists to highlight the intricate diversity of ecosystems across our planet. Each patch in this global quilt operates uniquely, with its own set of needs and processes. This complexity reminds us that conserving Earth isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor; it requires tailored approaches that honor the individuality of each ecosystem, ensuring the entire quilt can thrive.
Our mission at Dots.eco is to embrace the complexity that is the “Earth quilt” and inspire action to protect each of its patches, each ecosystem. While our current impact types cover many areas, they can’t address every need. When we spot a gap, we create new impact types to fill it. With this blog, we’re excited to announce our new impact type to help restore a unique and vital ecosystem: planting kelp.
This discussion fits within our wider framework on biodiversity impact types and conservation projects.
Why plant kelp?
Tree planting is one of the most well-known ways to absorb carbon. Forests are powerful carbon sinks, capturing and storing CO₂ in their biomass. However, carbon absorption isn’t limited to land—marine ecosystems also sequester carbon, also known as “blue carbon”. Coastal habitats like mangroves, seagrasses, and kelp forests mirror the carbon-storing capabilities of terrestrial ecosystems. Individual kelp functions much like trees, absorbing CO2 through photosynthesis and storing it in their biomass as they grow. Just as trees form forests on land, some species of kelp create vast underwater forests that can absorb and store about 4.91 megatons of CO2 per year. That’s 4.91 billion kilograms trapped underwater per year!
Just like land forests, kelp forests also provide other essential benefits that extend beyond carbon storage. They serve as critical habitats for diverse marine species, offering food, shelter, and breeding grounds for fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals. Their dense canopies also protect coastlines by reducing wave energy, which helps prevent erosion and mitigates storm damage. Furthermore, carbon absorption by kelp forests plays a role in buffering ocean acidification since dissolved CO2 in the water turns it acidic. This creates healthier environments for shell-forming organisms and other marine life which would suffer from corrosion. These combined benefits make kelp forests indispensable in building climate resilience, supporting ocean health, and fighting climate change.
What are the threats to kelp forests?
Kelp forests are under serious threat from a combination of climate change and human activity. Rising ocean temperatures caused by global warming can stunt kelp growth and lead to large-scale die-offs, particularly in species sensitive to heat stress. Overgrazing by herbivores like sea urchins is another major issue, often exacerbated by the decline of predators such as sea otters and lobsters due to overfishing or habitat loss. Without these predators to keep urchin populations in check, kelp forests can quickly be reduced to barren seascapes.
In addition to biological pressures, human activities also degrade kelp habitats. Commercial kelp harvesting, pollution, and increased sedimentation from human coastal activities disrupt water quality, smother kelp, and reduce its ability to photosynthesize. Nutrient pollution can lead to algal blooms that consume the oxygen in the water causing higher mortality among aquatic organisms. Overfishing can also disrupt the balance of marine food webs, leaving kelp forests more vulnerable to collapse. Addressing these threats is essential to protect one of the ocean’s most vital ecosystems and the biodiversity it supports.
How does planting kelp work?
Methods for planting kelp (also known as outplating kelp) can involve seeding or transplantation. Seeding is a common approach to restoring terrestrial systems but is less commonly applied in marine environments. Seeding involves dispersing and/or growing the juvenile life stage of the kelp – i.e. seeds, gametophytes, propagules, zoospores – into the ocean. This can include attaching juvenile kelp to ropes, rocks, or other structures in the water. It can be done in several different ways, from manually tying kelp to substrates to using biodegradable seed string embedded with spores or painting rocks with a biodegradable substance embedded with juvenile kelp.
Transplanting kelp has been the most common method used in past kelp forest restoration initiatives. It involves introducing an adult kelp plant into the environment with the goal of providing a canopy that will facilitate kelp recruitment from nearby populations and/or allow propagules to settle and grow into new adults.
The new impact type
Restoring kelp forests is a critical step in safeguarding both marine ecosystems and our climate. By adopting innovative planting methods and addressing the threats facing kelp, we can revitalize these underwater forests and unlock their full potential as carbon sinks and biodiversity hubs. At Dots.eco, we’re proud to add “planting kelp” to our efforts, helping to restore a vital piece of Earth’s “quilt.” Together, we can nurture these vital ecosystems and ensure that the oceans remain resilient in the face of climate change.
