Kelp forest: one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth

Description

GS PAPER II: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Context: The 85-minute documentary feature, My Octopus Teacher, which won the best documentary award at the recently concluded Academy Awards, is about the relationship that developed between a human being and a wild octopus.

Lead actor of the documentary has founded the Sea Change Project, where many divers work in tandem to protect the biodiversity of the Kelp forest.

About Kelp Forests:

Kelp forests are under water areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines.
They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth.
Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds.
Kelp forests occur worldwide throughout temperate and polar coastal oceans.
In 2007, kelp forests were also discovered in tropical waters near Ecuador.
In context, algal kelp forest combined with coral reefs account for less than 1% of global primary productivity.
Physically formed by brown macroalgae, kelp forests provide a unique habitat for marine organisms and are a source for understanding many ecological processes.
Over the last century, they have been the focus of extensive research, particularly in trophic ecology, and continue to provoke important ideas that are relevant beyond this unique ecosystem.
For example, kelp forests can influence coastal oceanographic patterns and provide many ecosystem services.
However, the influence of humans has often contributed to kelp forest degradation.
Of particular concern are the effects of overfishing nearshore ecosystems, which can release herbivores from their normal population regulation and result in the overgrazing of kelp and other algae.