Rising ocean temperatures are driving deterioration of kelp forests worldwide, but a University of Otago study hopes to help turn the tide and restore the valuable habitats.
Rising ocean temperatures are driving deterioration of kelp forests worldwide, but a University of Otago study hopes to help turn the tide and restore the valuable habitats.
Kelp forests are one of the most diverse and productive natural ecosystems on the planet, but in the past 50 to 100 years significant swaths have been lost and many of the remaining systems show a declining trajectory.
Researchers in Otago’s Coastal People: Southern Skies Centre of Research Excellence are undertaking a project into what is driving current declines of kōauau/giant kelp in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The kelp is found from the bottom of the North Island down to the subantarctic islands and is a key habitat for many culturally, recreationally, and commercially important species such as pāua and kōura (crayfish).
Read more at University of Otago
Photo Credit: TheOtherBen via Pixabay
