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5 Hope Spots You Might Not Know Have Kelp Forests

Cover image: Taylor Griffith
Kelp forests thrive in some surprising places around the world. From the icy waters of Iceland to the tropical seas of the Galápagos Islands, these underwater forests create vibrant habitats that support diverse marine life and sustain coastal communities. Across the globe, 32 Mission Blue Hope Spots are known for their vital kelp ecosystems, and here we take a closer look at five of these kelp Hope Spots and the unique stories they tell.
Northeast Iceland Hope Spot

At the edge of the Arctic Circle, the Northeast Iceland Hope Spot is a haven of geothermal vents, rocky coastlines, and cold, clear waters where underwater forests of tangle kelp (Laminaria hyperborea) thrive. These undersea habitats are part of an ecosystem that supports puffins, Arctic terns, and whales, and some of Europe’s most important bird colonies.…

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Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot Welcomes New Co-Champion

Cover image: Diving in the Bazaruto Seascape © Andrea Marshall
[Inhambane, Mozambique] –Mission Blue is pleased to welcome Rui Branco as the new Co-Champion of the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot in southern Mozambique. Rui Branco, founding member and Director of Associação NATURA and co-founder of the Malamba Coastal Collaborative and a Mozambique native, brings over 20 years of experience in biodiversity protection, community rights advocacy, and sustainable development. Branco is dedicated to fostering collaboration with local communities, strengthening governance, and supporting sustainable natural resource use. 
The Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) will continue as co-Champion, with Chief Operating Officer Sarah Butchers stepping in to continue the fantastic work of MMF co-founder Andrea Marshall, who remains on medical leave. Sarah Butchers is based in Tofo, Mozambique, where she manages MMF’s main office, as well as overseeing the organization’s global finances and operations.…

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Tavarua Island Marine Reserve Endorsed to Safeguard Iconic Coral Reefs and Marine Life

Tavarua Island from the Reef’s Edge. Image: Chris Park
[TAVARUA, FIJI] The waters surrounding Tavarua Island are now officially protected, following the Fijian Government’s endorsement of the Tavarua Island Marine Reserve. The declaration is an inspiring step forward in the Pacific nation’s leadership in marine conservation.
The new protected area was officially designated under the Fijian Government’s Fisheries (Tavarua Island Marine Reserve) Regulations 2025, and extends 5.62 square kilometers. The reserve lies within the Vanua o Malolo customary fishing rights area (CFRA) in Nadroga/Navosa. 
At the launch of the reserve, Minister for Fisheries and Forestry Hon. Alitia Bainivalu MP said, “These regulations, enacted under the Fisheries Act 1941, establish clear protections for the marine reserve and buffer zone. They restrict harmful activities such as illegal fishing, harvesting of marine life, and unapproved coastal development.” …

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

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.…

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Hope Beneath the Waves: A Week with the Global Kelp Community in Victoria, Canada

Cover Image: Victoria Conference Center with artist Josie Iselin’s seaweed banners. Image: Oriana Poindexter.
Author: Oriana Poindexter
Over 700 delegates from around the world gathered in the beautiful city of Victoria on Vancouver Island last week for the 25th International Seaweed Symposium. This week-long event convened global experts in all the arenas of algae, with sessions and special workshops focused on conservation, restoration, cultivation, policy, and global strategy for seaweed and kelp.
I was honored to attend the conference in my capacity as Mission Blue’s Kelp Initiative Program Manager and found myself among a slew of fellow kelp enthusiasts! I’ve been diving in kelp forests and studying the ecology of these magnificent systems for over a decade at this point, from my vantage point in the giant kelp forests of San Diego, California, and am always amazed at how much more there is to learn. …

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Polynesian Navigator Nainoa Thompson and Oceanographer Sylvia Earle Call for Urgent Ocean Action at Paris SOS Ocean Summit

Cover image: Courtesy of Presidence de la Republique France.
(PARIS, FRANCE) – Last week, renowned Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and Polynesian Voyaging Society CEO Nainoa Thompson joined global leaders in Paris for SOS Ocean, a high-level gathering held March 30-31 at the Musée National de la Marine. Under the leadership of French President Emmanuel Macron and in collaboration with the Oceano Azul Foundation, the event convened policymakers, scientists, and advocates to confront urgent ocean challenges as France and Costa Rica prepare to host the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) in Nice in two months (June 9-13, 2025).
The SOS Ocean convening aimed to shape the Nice Ocean Action Plan, a five-year agenda which will be negotiated during UNOC and is designed to prioritize ocean protection and restoration and support implementation of sustainable development goal SDG14: Life Below Water.…

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Research Expedition to Paramount: The Forgotten Seamount

Cover image: Alex Hearn
In January 2025, a team of scientists from Universidad San Francisco de Quito and Galápagos Science Center (USFQ-GSC) and the Galápagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) carried out a two-week expedition to Paramount: a shallow-water seamount rising from a depth of over 1,500 m to only 180 m below the surface, located 100 nautical miles northeast of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The objective of the expedition was to characterize the fish community around the seamount and explore its connections with Galápagos. The work was supported by the organizations Mission Blue, Galápagos Conservation Trust, MigraMar, and Bezos Earth Fund. 
Dr. Alex Hearn, Galápagos Hope Spot co-Champion and lead scientist on the expedition, explained that, “due to their relative inaccessibility, oceanic seamounts are relatively understudied, but often play similar roles to oceanic islands in the marine ecosystem.…

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New Co-Champions Announced for Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot

Cover image: Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot Dedication
Overstrand, South Africa – The Cape Whale Coast on South Africa’s Western Cape stretches over 200 kilometers of coastline from Rooi Els to Quoin Point. A region of striking natural beauty, the Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot hosts a complex coastline of estuaries, beaches, and bays. Offshore, the convergence of the warm Agulhas Current and the cold Benguela Upwelling creates a nutrient-rich environment that sustains a wide diversity of marine life, including important breeding areas for the endangered African penguin (Spheniscus demersus). 
“South Africa is such an incredible part of the planet, where the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean converge,” says Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue. She continues, “To be able to stand at the Cape of Good Hope and actually have two oceans, blue and green, coming together, it’s just magical.…

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The Mission Blue South Africa Initiative – Catalyzing and Advancing the Hope Spot Network

Cover image: Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot. Credit: Allen Walker
The South African coastline is home to seven Hope Spots. Six of these – False Bay, Cape Whale Coast, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Algoa Bay, and Aliwal Shoal – were designated in 2014, while Maputaland, a transboundary Hope Spot spanning both South Africa and Mozambique, was designated in 2024.These areas host an important array of species and habitats, including the Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis), the only endemic seahorse species in South Africa; the largest gannetry in the world, with 250,000 breeding pairs; one of the most important nursery areas for the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis); as well as abundant kelp forests and colorful coral reefs.
In 2024, Mission Blue received generous funding to launch The South Africa Initiative, which aims to catalyze and strengthen the South African Hope Spot network.…

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New Hope Spot Champion Takes Helm for Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot

Cover image: Allen Walker Photography. 
Durban, South Africa – Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot, one of South Africa’s most famous dive sites and a Marine Protected Area (MPA), is located just 50 km south of Durban and 5 km off the coast of Umkomaas on the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) South Coast.
Originally designated in 2014 as part of a suite of South African Hope Spots, Mission Blue is pleased to announce the re-launch in February 2025 of Aliwal Shoal as a Hope Spot. Congratulations to Russel Symcox, local resident and Founder of Wild Alliance Africa, who will take the helm as the new Champion to continue protecting the biodiverse Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot. Symcox and his wife, Olivia, a renowned local conservationist, were both part of the initial launch of the Hope Spot in 2014, and have been championing the cause of ocean protection for more than a decade. …

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