Welcome to your Seatrees project!
Thanks for partnering with Seatrees to support the research into Kelp Restoration Science in La Jolla, California! We’ve created this doc to help you share the impact you’re having and inspire your community to follow in your footsteps. Think of this doc as a detailed FAQ - a way to guide the conversation. For larger partners, we're happy to explore bespoke ideas.
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What’s our mission/vision?
On World Ocean Day, June 8, 2024, we announced our second major milestone of 4 million Seatrees planted + protected.
We're already working hard to find quality new projects where we can work together to plant the next Million Seatrees. Longer-term, our goal is to support 100 blue carbon projects in threatened coastal ecosystems by 2030, in turn becoming a global leader in developing blue carbon projects.
We believe the ocean has superpowers, and we can work with it to reverse climate change. But there's no time to waste. The global scientific consensus is clear that we have the next 10 years to reduce our collective carbon footprint to avoid passing a catastrophic climate tipping point.
Thousands of people and hundreds of brands have joined us on our mission to take action on climate change by regenerating coastal ecosystems. We’re excited to work with YOU to enable and enhance the ocean’s superpowers.
Superpowers?
Yep, 90% of all carbon in the global carbon cycle is stored in the ocean. This is where it should be sequestered to reverse climate change.
Mangrove forests “suck” aka sequester, 5-10 times more CO2 out of the atmosphere per hectare than tropical rainforests. Much of that carbon is stored in the soil and sediment that make up a mangrove ecosystem.
Globally, kelp forests sequester as much CO2 as mangrove forests. 10% of kelp breaks off and sinks into the deep ocean - sequestering the CO2 it contains. The conservation of these ecosystems is critical to solving climate change and will protect the habitats of over 700 species of algae, invertebrates, and fish.
Known as the “rainforests of the sea,” coral reefs are the largest living structures on earth and support 25% of marine life. The conservation of these ecosystems is vital to coastal protection, scientific research, medication, fishing, eco-tourism, and more.
About the Project
California has lost up to 90% of its giant kelp forests in some locations since the 2014–2015 marine heatwave. While some restoration techniques have proven successful elsewhere, scientists still don't fully understand why many kelp forests, including those in La Jolla, have failed to recover.
That's why Seatrees launched the Kelp Restoration Science Initiative.
Working alongside researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, we're testing new restoration techniques, studying the giant kelp lifecycle, and identifying solutions that can scale restoration efforts across California and beyond.
Why It Matters: Kelp forests are underwater powerhouses. They:
- Support thousands of marine species
- Protect coastlines by reducing wave energy
- Help capture and store carbon
- Support recreation, tourism, and local economies
- Hold deep cultural significance for coastal communities and Indigenous peoples
The Challenge
La Jolla was once home to one of California's most iconic giant kelp forests.
Since 2014, much of that forest has disappeared—and unlike many other locations, sea urchins aren't the primary cause. Understanding why is one of the biggest unanswered questions in kelp restoration science.
The answers discovered here could help shape restoration strategies for kelp forests around the world.
Project Goals
The Kelp Restoration Science Initiative is designed to answer critical scientific questions that will help restore California's iconic giant kelp forests and develop restoration strategies that can be applied around the world. Working alongside researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the project focuses on four primary objectives:
- Measuring Forest Health: Establishing baseline conditions and monitoring kelp recovery.
- Understanding Kelp Loss: Identifying the environmental drivers behind the decline.
- Testing Restoration Methods: Field trials of aquaculture and outplanting techniques.
- Building Climate Resilience: Studying the microscopic kelp lifecycle and developing more thermally tolerant strains for the future.
Meet the Scientists
The Kelp Restoration Science Initiative brings together Seatrees with leading researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, including Dr. Jennifer Smith and Mohammad (Mo) Sedarat, to answer some of the biggest unanswered questions in kelp restoration.
Following "The Blob"—the marine heatwave that began in 2013 and decimated kelp forests along the California coast—Mo has dedicated his research to identifying giant kelp families that are better equipped to withstand future warming events. By finding and cultivating these more heat-tolerant strains, future outplanting efforts in La Jolla and beyond could have a much greater chance of long-term success.
Together, Dr. Smith, Mo, and the Seatrees team are combining cutting-edge marine science with hands-on restoration research to develop the tools needed to restore Southern California's iconic kelp forests and help communities around the world build more resilient underwater ecosystems.
How is my “donation” spent?
Your support of this project will go directly toward research expenses involved in the investigation of San Diego’s disappearing kelp forests. Furthermore, your donation will support the monitoring of the site, developing content, sharing stories, and ongoing communications about the project.
Together we can pioneer kelp restoration science through this innovative project. Your support will break new ground in marine research and help us identify tools and approaches to bring back Southern California’s kelp once and for all.
About Seatrees
Seatrees is a nonprofit organization that restores and protects coastal ecosystems around the world to reverse climate change, enhance biodiversity, and support local communities. We use a science-based approach to regenerate coral reefs, kelp forests, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and coastal watersheds. Our projects support local community restoration efforts and provide tangible ways for individuals and brands to create a more resilient planet for future generations.
Why coastal marine ecosystems?
Kelp forests have massive potential to fight climate change, but only if we can prove it. Right now, kelp is not included in carbon markets or most climate strategies due to a lack of robust scientific data. This project is helping change that. Early findings suggest that seasonal shifts and heatwaves impact kelp’s carbon capacity, and that DOC may be a powerful, yet overlooked, climate solution.
By supporting this project, you're helping unlock the data needed to scale ocean-based climate action globally.
How do you ensure the impact is happening?
We have a thorough vetting process for every new project we consider. We support a limited number of projects that meet our criteria and can prove that ‘Seatrees’ are not only being planted, but that they are being protected in the longer term.
The process we go through is underpinned by science and many years of experience managing large-scale restoration and carbon sequestration projects. It’s a long process built on these seven SeaTrees questions:
- Is this project connected to the ocean?
- Who's the planting partner, and how credible are they?
- Is it a region that people are interested in, and how often can we get there?
- Does this place have global/political issues? Any other red flags?
- How does this project align with the UN SDG's? What social impact does this have?
- Do the economics of this project stack up?
- Is this a scalable solution?
We visit all of our projects on an annual basis (more often if we can), and we require our project partners to provide regular updates.
Please share some visuals with us!
We’ll use relevant content from your website and social channels, but if you have any specific please let us know and we’ll determine whether it fits with our brand.
Do share your logo! We’ll display it proudly on our Brand Partners page.
