UWA announce partnership to help restore Mid West kelp forests with Perth business Canopy Blue

It is hoped a partnership between the University of Western Australia and a seaweed cultivator company in Perth will help restore tens of thousands of hectares of kelp forests in the Mid West. Cottesloe-based Canopy Blue aim to grow kelp at a large scale in West Australian waters, and will be working with the university which has been researching how kelp reforestation can be improved. The partnership will focus 97,000ha of reef between Jurien Bay and Kalbarri, which are still recovering from heat waves in 2011 which decimated local kelp forests. Canopy Blue sells “kelp reforestation credits” which are purchased to finance their operations, with one credit worth a kelp plant which is planted in a Mid West reef. The company’s kelp will be grown at UWA’s Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre before these are planted at reforestation sites. Canopy Blue chief executive officer Jon-Paul Cox said that while the program was still in its pilot phase, the support of groups such as UWA would help expand the project and improve its sustainability. “The kelp credits have been sold to a range of customers, including UWA and Austral Fisheries, and allow organisations to support an ecosystem restoration project while offsetting their carbon emissions,” Mr Cox said. Kelp plays an important environmental role, as the aquatic plants can store carbon dioxide and prevent the greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere, where it can contribute to climate change. The 2011 heat wave is estimated to have resulted in 310,949 tonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere. UWA deputy vice-chancellor (research) Professor Anna Nowak said the partnership would play an important role in helping the university reduce its carbon footprint, and help propel research into kelp reforestation. “Reducing our carbon footprint and returning investment into world-class research will help create a better environment for all while increasing expertise in an important field,” she said. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and seaweed cultivation company, SeaForester, are also involved in the project.