We love kelp for a lot of reasons here in California. It acts as key habitat to marine species like our much beloved otters, it protects the coast from accelerated erosion, and it’s pretty (Heather pointed out feather boa kelp to me the other day–I would definitely wear it). In South Africa a Conservation International story reports that locals are collecting kelp that washes ashore to use as organic fertilizer and other products. In additional to providing much needed income to the local people, having all those extra eyes and hands on the beach has meant more trash gets picked up, poachers are deterred from illegally taking lobster and abalone, and destructive offroad vehicles are kept off.
Read the story on CI’s website here.
Sea Otter Scoop 