The Location

📍 Pacific Coast of British Columbia, Canada

British Columbia (BC) is known for its stunning natural landscapes, including towering coastal mountains and the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

BC’s unique geography includes temperate rainforests, rugged coastlines, and rich marine ecosystems that support diverse wildlife, such as orcas, sea otters, and a variety of fish species.

The region has a deep connection to nature, with Indigenous communities having lived in harmony with these ecosystems for thousands of years.

Kelp forests, in particular, hold cultural and ecological significance in BC. For Indigenous peoples, kelp is a source of food, medicine, and materials for traditional practices.

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The Problem

In recent years, kelp forests along the coast of British Columbia have been in decline due to factors such as climate change, overfishing, and pollution.

Globally, more than 40% of kelp forests have been depleted in the past five decades.

The decimation of these underwater forests has had devastating impacts on marine ecosystems. Kelp forests are critical habitats for many species, providing shelter, food, and breeding grounds for fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals. With their loss, biodiversity in the region is rapidly decreasing, causing a ripple effect throughout the food chain.

The disappearance of kelp also affects coastal communities that rely on healthy marine ecosystems for fishing, tourism, and cultural practices.

Furthermore, kelp forests play a crucial role in carbon sequestration, helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change. As these forests decline, the local economy, biodiversity, and the climate are all severely impacted.

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The Solution

For this project, our partners, Veritree, are working closely with Coastal Kelp, as well as local First Nation communities to restore kelp forest along their territory off the Pacific Coast of British Columbia.

This project will produce millions of Kelp Sporophytes planted on a mix of line and green gravel in the Indigenous waters of B.C.

‍Partners - Veritree & Coastal Kelp

‍Main Planting Window - November - January

‍Site Technology - Geospatial Data Layers, Water Quality Sensors & Hydro Vision, Dissolved Oxygen and Salinity

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What is Seaforestation?

Seaforestation is an emerging conservation strategy focused on the restoration and cultivation of underwater seagrass and kelp forests in marine environments.

This practice involves cultivating kelp or other marine plants in areas where they have been depleted or damaged, with the goal of enhancing biodiversity, improving water quality, and restoring crucial habitats.

Seaforestation not only supports the regeneration of marine life but also helps combat climate change by sequestering significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

With rising global interest in blue carbon solutions, sea forestation is gaining recognition as a vital strategy for promoting ocean health and mitigating environmental damage.

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The Impact

New and innovative techniques will be used to seed several kelp varieties including Giant, Bull and Sugar Kelp - all powerful contributors to the fight against climate change.

Approximately 0.55 tons of C02 will be sequestered over each kelp’s lifetime. (CO2 estimates are taken from averages across multiple sources. Sequestration can vary in kelp based on a number of external factors and assumptions around lifespan, growth rates, and habitat conditions).

Kelp replanting will also positively impact the region’s species of fish, including Herring, Salmon and Northern Abalone.

For every 10,000 kelp planted, 20 work days will be created for local communities, providing new income streams and a boost for the economy.

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How You Can Help

Ecodrive enables you to seamlessly integrate sustainability into your business processes.

Our technology allows you to tie everyday actions like sales, reviews, emails sent, meetings booked, and much more, to projects like kelp planting in BC.

Meaning you’re doing good for the planet, and your business.

Easily plug-in to your existing Shopify, Amazon, or e-commerce store, and gain access to our marketing toolkits and verification portal to fully communicate your impact to consumers and stakeholders.

Learn more by booking an Ecodrive demo with a member of our team below.

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