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 peoples, like the Chumash peoples living near the recently designated Chumash Heritage national marine sanctuary, who have used kelp for generations as medicine, food, and material.

Conserving kelp is going to require more than putting lines down on maps and claiming credit towards the global goals to protect 30 percent of the ocean. The threats facing kelp are as dynamic as the ocean itself, and will require interventions tailored to the coastal communities nearby.

For too long many decisions on how to manage ocean resources have been made without involving the people who have to live with those decisions, particularly Indigenous peoples. This is despite evidence showing that including Indigenous knowledge and values in conservation efforts leads to better outcomes for people and nature.

This report is an important step in ensuring that future generations of children can learn to love kelp and all that it supports. These data are an important tool for decision makers to better understand how much kelp is protected, restored, and threatened, and helps us envision the path towards what we do next.