MONACO OCEAN WEEK 2022 – SEAWEED DAY

Samantha Deane, Managing Director of the Kelp Forest Foundation (KFF) had the honour of speaking at this years’ Monaco Ocean Week (2022). Click and listen to her session where Samantha described how we creating a biodiversity baseline study to measure the impact of giant kelp cultivation on existing ecosytems. KFF shared the podium with Nathan Geraldi of Nature Metrics who explained our use of eDNA, one of the several methods we are using, to independently and efficiently create a picture of the ecosystem as it exists before the kelp farm are placed.

The talk took place in the Oceanographic Institute – Prince Albert Foundation. The Seaweed Day was meant to shed light on one of the most promising regenerative ocean industries: algae. The potential of seaweed was presented by renowned experts and companies developing innovative products ranging from bio-packaging, to plant-based seafood and animal feed.

The Oceanographic Institute vision for hosting the Seaweed Day was as follows: “Seaweed is a somewhat overlooked “unsung hero” of the ocean. With its range of applications and significant environmental and social benefits, sustainable seaweed has the potential of becoming a regenerative material which can help address climate change, food and energy security and social prosperity. From human, animal and plant food, pharma- and nutraceuticals, cosmetics to bioplastics and even biofuels – through relentless research and innovation a vast range of applications for seaweed have been developed. With greater investment into the industry, this list is set to continuously expand. 

Through its properties and versatile applications, seaweed has a positive impact on both the ocean and environment. Seaweed provides essential services such as food and habitat to the ocean ecosystem. Requiring no freshwater, fertiliser or cleared land to grow, sustainable seaweed also is a prime example of a regenerative material, acting e.g. as a good source of alternative protein or a replacement for plastic. Research also indicates a significant carbon sequestration and nitrogen absorption potential of seaweed, which is yet to be further quantified.”