Seaforestation
When you give on World Ocean Day, you can have twice the impact helping plant kelp in B.C. and Chile thanks to Float Financial! Kelp is vital to restoring our ocean and protecting otters and other marine life! Will you kindly be #BeOceanWise today and help these critters?
25-30%
of the world’s coastlines are protected by kelp forests, which act as natural buffers against coastal erosion from strong waves
Thousands
of species rely on kelp for food, shelter, and breeding grounds, from tiny invertebrates to marine mammals.
Over 50%
of kelp forests have declined in the past 50 years primarily due to climate change and ecosystem imbalances
This World Ocean Day, will you take one small action to help sea otters?
As the climate crisis continues to warm our waters, we have seen drastic changes in our ocean, including a decline of around 50% of our life-sustaining kelp forests over the past fifty years.
If you have ever had the pleasure of watching utterly adorable otters in person or on film, then you’ve likely seen them playfully maneuvering their way through swaths of surfacing kelp forests. Kelp provides a food source for the urchins and many invertebrates the otters need to survive. Plus, otters wrap themselves in canopy forming kelp to keep steady while they rest and eat. When they do this in groups, called "rafts", it ensures they are protected from currents and predators.
Beyond being a source of food, protection and shelter to otters and other wildlife, this seaweed is vital to the marine carbon cycle and can mitigate effects of ocean acidification, helping countless species of invertebrates like abalones and oysters! We need to plant kelp to solve climate change and warming waters .
In the face of a rapidly changing world, we can all jump in and take action. When you choose to #BeOceanWise this World Ocean Day, you’ll have two times the impact helping restore kelp forests in British Columbia and Chile thanks to Float Financial! Your compassionate support is critical to for our work with communities and partners as part of our Seaforestation efforts.
When we do small things together, we can turn the tide for ocean abundance. Today, your small act of donating means you'll join Max, Dana and our Ocean Wise team here in B.C. by supporting work in partnership with the Squamish First Nation to restore sugar kelp in Howe Sound, and the Tseshaht First Nation to restore Giant Kelp to support Herring populations in Barkley Sound.
Through shared knowledge and resources, these strategic relationships have led to an increase in kelp production in our nursery year over year. As this is a new science, learnings are key not only to restoration here in British Columbia, but in areas globally, including our efforts in Chile.
Every small action matters for our ocean and the marine life that call it home. Because, when we do small things together, we can turn the tide for ocean abundance. Will you kindly kelp out?
Our Seaforestation Work
Ocean Wise works with kelp farmers, Indigenous groups, and scientists to protect and restore these critical marine ecosystems in Canada and Chile.
The value of kelp forests extends beyond environmental. As powerful natural allies, they mitigate climate change and provide critical habitats for marine biodiversity. But they also anchor coastal communities—supporting livelihoods, cultural traditions, and sustainable economies. By restoring kelp ecosystems, we are not just rebuilding underwater forests; we are investing in a healthier planet, stronger communities, and a legacy of stewardship for future generations.
Scott Bohachyk
Ocean Wise, Director of Seaforestation
