Are you a diver that runs a dive shop or a hobby diver that loves the sea and wants to change the world? A researcher of forest ecosystems? A concerned citizen? The Canada and UK-based Ocean Wise and the Kelp Forest Alliance have released a new guidebook to help monitor kelp ecosystems globally.

Kelp forests may seem like just seaweed, but they are foundational for life both underwater and on land. Kelp – also known as dulse –  itself is a superfood, but in the water and alive kelp support an astonishing array of biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services that help mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Kelp forests hold significant cultural and existence value for Indigenous peoples and local communities. These underwater forests are vital for the health of our planet, but unfortunately, kelp forests are disappearing at an alarming rate.

Related: how demand for agar is killing algae in Morocco

“Over 50% of kelp forests have declined in the past 50 years due to climate change and ecosystem imbalances. Global efforts to protect and restore these necessary ecosystems have never been more urgent. But to make a compelling case for kelp forest conservation, you must be able to measure their value and the impact of your interventions,” says Carlos Drews, Executive Vice President of Conservation, Ocean Wise.

Ocean conservation has been around for decades but kelp restoration is a relatively new frontier. Still in its discovery phase, kelp restoration research has focused on uncovering the most effective ways to protect and restore kelp forests. But reversing the global loss of kelp requires scalable, innovative, cost-effective, and collaborative efforts. This new handbook hopes to be the the missing link to making this a global effort.

Conservation without proper monitoring and reporting is at best an estimation, say the guide creators. That’s where this guidebook comes in—offering standardized methods to ensure data can be assessed, shared, and compared across projects.

“We spend our hard-earned conservation dollars trying to help kelp forest ecosystems, but we rarely place the same investment in tracking the outcome of those efforts. When we fail to accurately monitor and report on the outcomes of these projects, we do ourselves a disservice,” says Aaron Eager, Program Director, Kelp Forest Alliance.

“We are currently missing opportunities to understand what makes some projects more successful than others. This gap also impedes our understanding of the benefits these ecosystems provide and a result, we are unable to effectively communicate their importance to society. This document will help guide monitoring efforts and give the kelp forest community a common language when comparing data.”

Global kelp restoration efforts include active projects in 13 countries including Canada, Australia, Chile, Denmark, and the United States.

Get the guidebook here.

About Ocean Wise

Ocean Wise is a globally focused conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our ocean. Through research, education, public engagement, and international collaborations, we empower communities to fight three major ocean challenges: ocean pollution, overfishing and climate change.

By equipping and empowering individuals, communities, industries, and governments, we can create a future where people and our oceans can thrive. Ocean Wise is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia with staff across Canada and Chile, and operates conservation projects that make national and international impact.

About Kelp Forest Alliance

The Kelp Forest Alliance (KFA) is a global network of scientists, conservationists, and stakeholders dedicated to protecting and restoring 4 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040. We promote research, conservation, education, and restoration efforts worldwide. The alliance offers evidence-based strategies for effective and ethical kelp forest management, advocates for stronger policies, and aims to deepen public awareness and connection to these often-overlooked ecosystems.

Divers play a critical role in saving and restoring kelp forests, which are vital marine ecosystems. These underwater forests support biodiversity, sequester carbon, and protect coastlines. Here’s how divers contribute to the conservation and restoration of kelp forests:

How divers can help preserve kelp forests

One of the primary threats to kelp forests is the overgrazing by sea urchins, particularly in areas where natural predators, like sea otters, have declined. Divers help by:

• Urchin Culling: Divers manually remove overabundant sea urchins, reducing their numbers and allowing kelp to regrow.
• Targeted Removal: They focus on areas where sea urchins are particularly damaging, helping to restore balance in these ecosystems.

Planting and Restoring Kelp

In some areas, kelp populations have declined to the point where natural regrowth is limited. Divers can assist by:

• Replanting Kelp: They collect kelp spores or young plants and replant them in damaged areas to encourage regrowth.
• Seeding Efforts: Divers can attach kelp spores to artificial substrates or rocks to help new kelp beds establish.

Monitoring and Research

Divers are often involved in scientific research that helps track the health of kelp forests:

• Ecological Surveys: They monitor kelp health, sea urchin populations, and other environmental factors.
• Data Collection: Divers gather data on water quality, temperature, and biodiversity, which can help scientists understand the impacts of climate change and human activity on kelp forests.

Marine Debris Removal

Trash and fishing gear can damage kelp forests by entangling plants and marine animals. Divers contribute by:

• Removing Debris: They collect discarded fishing nets, plastic waste, and other debris that can harm kelp forests.

Read more on diving here: including underwater biking and diving in Egypt’s mysterious underwater city

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Not everyone who visits Antalya wants to go scuba diving to see the extraordinary Mediterranean marine life, but now they can still catch a glimpse of what lives under the sea’s surface thanks to a beautiful new aquarium on the Turkish Riviera.

Okyanus Aquarium Company commissioned Turkey’s Bahadir Kul Architects to design a 12,000 square meter aquarium with state of the art facilities. And it appears that they picked the right team.

A beautiful undulating facade mimics the fluidity of shifting water and a large cantilever provides a buffer zone between the outdoor area leading to the aquarium and the interior environment. This space also gives visitors a chance to escape from the harsh sun.

The ground floor hosts a visitor information area, an amphitheater, and a food court where guests can purchase refreshments either before or after touring the massive aquarium.

Related: Lebanon’s Mediterranean Apocalypse – Scuba Diving in Waters Devoid of Life

From there a ramp leads to the main exhibition area which eventually ends with a 131-meter-long tunnel that creates a simulated underwater environment, as though the guest were actually gliding through the crystal clear water along with sharks and fish and other marine creatures.

Fish-shaped cutouts throughout the facade bring plenty of natural light into the building, which helps to offset the amount of energy required to keep it illuminated. Still, it is a mammoth development, and the absence of any kind of renewable energy sources seems somewhat irresponsible, particularly since Turkey is known to have power outages in the summer.

And some critics will argue that aquariums are an anathema to nature, and there’s definitely some truth to that. But in order to inspire awe – particularly in young children – so that people feel compelled to care for their natural resources, they must first be exposed.

For some people who visit the world’s third most visited city, the aquarium will be their only contact with the great underwater world.

:: Designboom

Lead image via Ket Kolektif, others via the architects

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The ship, the Nisar R3, was loaded with 816 tonnes of bitumen at the time it sank.

The Iranian captain of the Cypriot vessel sent an SOS message to the Sultan Qaboos Port control tower when water began to gush into the ship, and two tugboats were dispatched to the scene.

By the time they arrived, the captain was dead and the ship had sunk, but authorities were able to rescue nine Indian sailors that were also on the boat.

The coast guard transported the sailors to the Royal Oman Police Hospital for care, according to Gulf News.

“We have formed a team of environmental experts to monitor the impact of the cargo spill from the ship,” Sulaiman Bin Nasser Al Akhzami, a senior official at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, said on Sunday.

The ministry called on private companies to help contain the spill to ensure that it would do minimum damage to Oman’s pristine marine environment and nearby desalination plants.

Booms placed around the spill are expected to prevent further spread, but the environment ministry has called on citizens to keep an eye out for possible oil slick.

Unlike Egypt, where oil spills are treated with zero transparency, Omani authorities have been very transparent in their dealings, although there is something suspect about a Cypriot-flagged vessel with an Iranian captain and nine Indian sailors.

Nonetheless, the Ministry of Environment has coordinated with the Regional Organisation for the Protection of Marine Environment (ROPME) to ensure that all hands are on deck to clean up this spill as efficiently as possible.

Bitumen occurs naturally or as a byproduct of petroleum distillation and is most frequently mixed with aggregates and used to pave roads. It is black, viscous, and no doubt toxic to fauna and flora.

Although oil spills occur all-too-regularly, Oman has one of the best protected marine environments in the Middle East with 1700km of coast line.

It is one of the best scuba diving destinations in the region and boasts prime nesting areas for Loggerhead and other turtles, among other marine species.

:: Gulf News

Image via Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs

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Until Dr. Michel Chalhoub, a Beirut-based engineer, secured funding to make a patch of sea off the coast of Tripoli beautiful again by sinking a huge pile of army vehicles about 12 km from the coast. Disused tanks, vans, and even a barge and crane were lowered into the water  to establish a new artificial reef that was completed in June, 2012.

Almost one year later, the American-educated Dr. Chalhoub is reluctant to say whether or not sinking the tanks and vans has made a measurable difference in Tripoli’s marine health, he told Green Prophet.

Unlike mega developers Nakheel in Dubai, who promised to build 500 artificial reefs along the Gulf Coast in order to offset the damage of their many construction projects, and Bahrain, who boasted that their artificial reef restored their waters within a fast 16 weeks, Dr. Chalhoub takes a more conservative approach to his work.

“We will be providing underwater inspection this year. We expect that it is still somewhat early to draw conclusions,” he told Green Prophet.

He was similarly matter-of-fact about the materials used to create the artificial reef, which is a particular magnate for algae, bacteria, corals and egg-laying fish:

“I used (1) vans that I joined two-by-two like train wagons on common chassis, (2) natural rock, (3) special concrete inside the vans, (4) Army scrap steel beds which I used to reinforce the concrete, (5) Army tanks, (6) Army barge/marine carrier, (7) a separate floating 110 tom capacity crane. The reef is made of several pieces deployed at distances between 70 – 100 m approx. from each other.”

But maybe he’ll be wrong. Maybe the army vehicles taken from Lebanon’s Kfarshima army junkyard, with permission of course, will be crawling with funky creatures when the follow-up mission starts.

Like the Red Sea and the Arabian/Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean has changed in recent years thanks to rising temperatures, acidification, poorly managed coastal development, overfishing and a host of other harmful feedback loops.

“Waters have deteriorated due to waste dumping and faced an acute pollution problem in 2006 from oil spills during bombardments,” Dr. Chalhoub said in an email.

But the artificial reef is expected to rejuvenate the eastern Mediterranean in the same way that shiprecks spawn such incredible biodiversity – by providing a place for fish and flora to reproduce.

If successful, the project in theory should jumpstart the local fishing industry and become a new, more upbeat, recreational scuba diving destination.

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