Restoring Tasmania’s disappearing giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests
Investigating the potential of using warm-tolerant genotypes for the restoration of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests in Tasmania, Australia.
Dense giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests were previously an iconic feature of the Tasmanian coast, but the loss of ~95% of these giant kelp forests across wide regions of Tasmania has seen them nationally listed as an endangered marine community. The collapse of giant kelp forests is associated with ocean warming stemming from increased influence of warm East Australian Current water in eastern and southern Tasmania. Nonetheless, scattered healthy giant kelp persist across the historical range, indicating the potential existence of warm-tolerant populations/individuals. This project aims to identify and cultivate warm-tolerant giant kelp from these remnant patches, and then use these as the foundation for restoration of giant kelp in Tasmania.
The team: Dr Cayne Layton, Dr Masayuki Tatsumi, Assoc Prof Jeff Wright, Prof Craig Johnson. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
For more information about this project, please visit www.imas.utas.edu.au/kelprestoration