The Mission Blue Kelp Initiative: A Hope Spot Partnership for Kelp Protection

May 18, 2025

Cover Image: Researcher Gonzalo Bravo working on photo-quadrats in Argentina’s kelp forest. Image: Mariano Rodriguez.

The Mission Blue Kelp Initiative is a partnership with The Plum Foundation to support the conservation and protection of kelp forests in Hope Spots around the world. Given the ecological significance of kelp forests, this partnership prioritizes the protection of healthy kelp ecosystems where possible, the recovery of degraded areas by mitigating stressors, and when necessary, active restoration methods. 

We believe protection to be the most effective strategy, but in the face of warming ocean temperatures due to global climate change, other approaches are also required. The Hope Spot network includes over 30 Hope Spots with kelp forests in their waters, and in 2025, we are supporting active conservation, research, and restoration efforts with researchers in four key areas around the globe.

Reviving Kelp Forests: Restoration and Sustainability in Chile’s Humboldt Archipelago Hope Spot

Dr. Alejandro Pérez Matus and his colleagues at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile are taking an active restoration approach to an area of degraded kelp forest in the Humboldt Hope Spot along Chile’s northern-central coastline.

Working with a strategy previously used by colleagues to successfully re-establish a kelp forest and associated species degraded by pollution from mining runoff in northern Chile, Dr. Pérez Matus and his colleagues are planning to partner with a cooperative of local fishermen to outplant 100 individuals of the subtidal kelp, Lessonia trabeculata, in both an open access area and an area co-managed by Chilean authorities and the fishing cooperative for a comparative approach at re-establishing the region’s kelp forests.

They will pair the active restoration work with community engagement workshops, ecological monitoring, and establish meetings to promote sustainable resource management and share restoration techniques. Learn more about their work at www.subelab.com / www.nutme.cl / www.mileniomash.cl or on instagram @alepeces and @nucleo:nutme.

Education for Protection: Assessing the Kelp Forest within the Northeast Iceland Hope Spot

Dr. Marianne Rasmussen and SVÍVS (Samtök um verndun í og við Skjálfanda), in collaboration with European partners, are documenting the kelp ecosystems surrounding the islands of Grímsey and Mánáreyjar within the Northeast Iceland Hope Spot ahead of a planned development of a kelp harvesting and drying facility nearby.

Using underwater drones, the team will map the distribution of the forests of tangle kelp (Laminaria hyperborea) in previously unstudied areas, establishing baseline ecological data. The collected videos will be displayed at the Húsavík Whale Museum to reach a wide audience, and findings will be shared at a public stakeholder workshop in fall 2025.

The project also contributes data to the EU BioProtect initiative and marine spatial planning efforts, helping to advocate for official protection of these kelp forests. Dr. Rasmussen and her colleagues recently completed a pilot project, demonstrating the viability of underwater drones as tools for this type of documentation. Through public engagement, scientific collaboration, and policy integration, the project works to deepen awareness of the importance of kelp ecosystems and ensure their long-term conservation in Icelandic waters. Learn more about their work at skjalfandi.org, on Facebook, or in this recent local news feature.

Kelp Roots: Residency of Coexistence in Patagonia, Argentina

Kelp Roots is an interdisciplinary, community-rooted initiative co-created by a network of artists, scientists, educators, and ocean defenders living and working along the northernmost and southernmost edges of the giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests in Argentine Patagonia.

Grounded in the coastal regions of Chubut and Tierra del Fuego, this residency-style field experience explores the ecological, cultural, and artistic significance of kelp ecosystems in Península Valdés and the Beagle Channel. Bringing together local knowledge, scientific inquiry, and creative expression, the project seeks to deepen our collective understanding of these vital marine forests.

Led by Candelaria Belén Piemonte—biologist, art-ivist, and hub leader of Sustainable Ocean Alliance Argentina—Kelp Roots is the result of a symbiotic collaboration among people deeply connected to both territories. Anchored in reciprocity and care, the initiative emphasizes co-creation, mutual learning, and a shared commitment to regeneration. Through biodiversity surveys, underwater imagery, educational tools, and creative documentation, the project will generate open-access resources, contribute to platforms like iNaturalist, and support the development of scientific publications and technical reports that could underpin the designation of a Mission Blue Hope Spot in Tierra del Fuego. A collective bitácora—a living journal blending art and science—will serve as both a memory and a map of the process. Ultimately, Kelp Roots aspires to model inclusive, interdisciplinary approaches to marine conservation that honor the emotional, cultural, and ecological connections that tie us to the sea. Follow along @soa_argentina. 

 

Health of the Kelp Seed Bank in Northern California Sea Urchin Barrens: Developing Sampling Strategies 

Researchers at the UC Davis, Bodega Marine Lab have been assessing the health of Northern California’s bull kelp forest for decades and 10 years ago recorded the collapse of the kelp forest. This region experienced a rapid shift from productive kelp forests covered in summer and fall with beautiful canopy-forming bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) to sea urchin barrens dominated by hungry purple and red sea urchins.

The catastrophic tipping point occurred in 2014 following multiple kelp stressors including a massive marine heat wave and a rapid increase in sea urchin populations following the decline of the predatory sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides). This series of negative impacts led to the loss of over 90% of the north coast’s kelp forest in just one year and it has yet to recover. With this project, Dr. Rogers-Bennett and colleagues aim to develop innovative, non-labor intensive sampling strategies to assess the health of the kelp seed bank along the rocky Sonoma and Mendocino coast in areas that have notoriously challenging ocean conditions.

The project will use a variety of eDNA-based methods to collect and analyze microscopic kelp life stages comparing sea urchin barrens with existing kelp refugia areas. This research will generate data that can help large-scale kelp restoration projects, understand if sea urchin removal alone will lead to kelp regrowth or if supplementing kelp spores will be required for the ultimate goal of bolstering the resilience and recovery of kelp forests in northern California and globally. Learn more at  @ucdavismarinescience. 

Learn more about the Mission Blue Kelp Initiative, and kelp in general, by reading our Kelp 101 post here.