Kelp’s potential as a nature-based solution is well recognised. The barrier to large-scale recognition and implementation of kelp is the lack of standards, evidence, and real-world examples that markets, governments, funders and kelp practitioners need before they can act on it.
This is the gap KFF addresses. We design and run programs that make kelp’s ecosystem services measurable, credible, and scalable. We make sure the results are accessible to everyone who needs them.
We identify the research gaps that block kelp from being valued at scale, build the collaborative programs to answer them, and translate findings into the standards and frameworks that policy and markets can work with.
Example-setting pilots with partners that generate ecological and climate data in real conditions. Designed from to be replicable to support kelp ecosystems at global scale.
Science and projects only create change if the right people hear about them. We translate our work and broader kelp knowledge into content and narratives that move policymakers, funders and the public to act.
Kelp forests provide many ecosystem services: they support marine biodiversity, protect coastlines from erosion, filter nutrients, and sequester carbon.
But for kelp ecosystems to be recognised, protected and enhanced by governments, corporates, practitioners, we support science to close research gaps. By translating our scientific findings into methods people can actually use to measure and proof the tangible value kelp ecosystems bring.
We curate the research questions that need to be studied
We convene universities, research institutes and practitioners, making sure the research is applicable later.
We translate findings into accessible tools, standards, and communication that can influence policy and markets, and support practitioners on the ground
Our research programs run on philanthropic funding. If you’d like to support or co-design a program, we’d love to hear from you.
Our research themes focus on the ecosystem services that kelp ecosystems provide
How much carbon does kelp sequester? Where does it go? And how do you measure and attribute it in a way that carbon markets and policymakers will trust?
KFF’s research program has supported collaborative projects that are building the peer-reviewed methodologies the field needs.
Kelp forests are among the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on the planet. But standardised methods for measuring and crediting that biodiversity value barely exist — which means kelp’s contribution to nature recovery largely goes unrecognised in policy and markets.
Our biodiversity research programs work on exactly that: developing monitoring frameworks and measurement tools that make kelp’s ecological value visible, credible and usable.
Kelp forests buffer coastlines, reduce erosion and support the health of adjacent marine habitats: providing nature-based solutions for problems ports, coastal managers and offshore developers face. Our aim is quantifying the effects in a way that feeds into planning frameworks and investment decisions.
This is an area where we’re actively looking for research partners and funders.
Kelp absorbs excess nutrients and can buffer localised ocean acidification, making it directly relevant for coastal zones affected by agricultural runoff, aquaculture, industrial discharge and algal blooms. For ports, fish farms and coastal industries operating under tightening environmental regulations, this is one of kelp’s most immediately applicable ecosystem services.
The Blue House Fellowship is our UN Ocean Decade-endorsed program through which we provide rolling scholarships to Namibian students to develop scientific talent in natural ecosystems.
Our vision is for the graduates of this programme to enrich the talent pool in the skillsets required for a future in which humanity and nature are in better harmony.
Our global biodiversity project explores kelp forests around the world, using innovative eDNA techniques to study marine life and biodiversity, and establish baselines on the health of these kelp forests. By creating a strong scientific foundation of kelp ecology, we are building a framework for kelp conservation and paving the way for effective tools for natural capital credits.
Our pilot project, along the coast of the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas, studied some of the world’s most pristine wild kelp forests. Led by Dr. Narissa Bax, eDNA sampling revealed what a healthy and untouched kelp forest ecosystem looks like.
What’s next?
The next phase has already started: Together with Dr. Narissa Bax, we have collected a follow-up set of eDNA samples at the French Southern and Antarctic Islands. These samples need further funding to be analyzed and integrated.
The third phase of this project will include expansion to the kelp forest habitats of Argentinian Patagonia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, USA, Canada, and more.
And we need your help…
Join us in closing this critical data gap in marine conservation. Right now, we do not have enough data to protect kelp forests and improve their management. Your support helps us use cutting-edge eDNA technology to build a clear understanding of kelp biodiversity worldwide, so that we can act earlier, better manage, and protect more kelp forests.
Download our project description and see how you can support this project as a partner or funder.
Kelp’s ecosystem services only become investable when there’s real-world evidence behind them. Our demonstration projects are real pilots that generate measurable ecological and climate data, co-designed with the partners who need the results.
We work with port authorities, offshore wind developers, aquaculture operators, coastal managers and conservation funders. If you’re looking for a nature-based solution grounded in science, we’d like to talk.
Science only drives change if the right people hear about it in a way that lands.
We translate complex kelp science into content that policymakers, funders and the public can engage with. Kelp is still absent from the frameworks and markets where it belongs. That’s as much a communication challenge as a scientific one.
If you’re a filmmaker, journalist or science communicator looking to collaborate, we’re excited to connect.
Unlocking the power of kelp