Kelp and Indigenous Peoples
Tide pooling with the Kelp Forest Alliance in Santa Barbara, California I wrote this introduction for the Kelp Forest Alliance's State of the World's Kelp Forests Report . I love kelp. I can usually smell it before I see it, that briny, earthy, seaweed scent that conjures childhood memories of running along the water towards piles of matted discovery. Where there is kelp, there are crabs, anemones, and on lucky days, whales and furry ocean animals. But it’s no secret that kelp is threatened today by human activities, and a warming ocean with lower nutrients and more sea urchins. Climate change makes it more difficult for kelp to grow in the places where it has grown for all of human history, and poor water quality and harmful fishing can damage not only their structure and function but the biodiversity associated with kelp forests. We know how important kelps are for ocean health and for people, too. They play a role in the identity and culture of Indigenous and coastal ...