New alliance advances monitoring and restoration of global kelp forests
Kelp forests, often described as the world’s underwater rainforests, play a far larger role in the ocean’s health than many realize. Yet half of these vast ecosystems have disappeared in the past 50 years. As concerns about marine resilience, food security and climate impacts grow, three organizations are pooling their expertise to help turn the tide. Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), SeaForester and Kongsberg Discovery have signed a new agreement to develop an efficient monitoring solution that supports sustainable sea forest management, restoration and conservation.
Over recent decades, the loss of approximately 50% of global kelp forests has reduced fish populations, contributed to ocean acidification, weakened carbon sequestration and undermined the ocean’s ability to filter nutrients from land run-off and aquaculture. The partnership aims to address these pressures with advanced technological tools that enable effective long-term monitoring and sustainable management strategies.
SeaForester founder and CEO Pål Bakken notes that seaweed forms “the largest marine vegetated ecosystem on the planet – over 20 times larger than the coral reefs.” He stresses that better information on the condition of these habitats is urgently needed and that restoration efforts must accelerate. According to Bakken, this collaboration marks “a major step towards enabling monitoring and restoration at a meaningful, industrial scale.”
From outer space to the deep ocean
SeaForester’s early projects have shown that large-scale kelp forest recovery is technically and economically viable. However, improved monitoring tools are essential to guide and verify interventions. Satellite-derived ocean data – capturing parameters such as sea surface temperature, height and colour – will play a central role in monitoring kelp forests as efforts expand.
“This data helps track currents, sea-level rise and the effects of climate change, as well as monitor phenomena such as harmful algal blooms and ocean pollution,” says KSAT’s Børre Pedersen. He adds that combining satellite observations with ocean-based measurements will be key to providing deeper insights that support marine habitat restoration.
Digital solutions for preserving life in the ocean
Kongsberg Discovery has been developing a digital platform that unites hydroacoustic sensors for ecosystem monitoring and seafloor mapping with a wide range of complementary ocean measurements and metadata. The goal is to create a unified solution that supports the sustainable use of ocean space.
Tonny Algrøy, sales director for ocean science at Kongsberg Discovery, explains that the SeaForester use case allows the company to bring different strands of information together into a “holistic real-time information system” for efficient monitoring and documentation of kelp biomass and related ecosystems.
Kongsberg has supplied acoustic instruments for ocean monitoring for decades. Algrøy notes that combining these capabilities with additional measurements creates “a full picture of the current situation,” ultimately supporting better decisions on how to restore marine habitats.
SeaForester, which holds Europe’s largest permit for seaweed forest restoration, is well positioned to translate these technological advances into practical, commercial-scale ecosystem recovery. According to CEO Bakken, this is a great opportunity to bridge scientific innovation with real-world implementation.
The world’s biggest forest is valuable
The United Nations aims to restore one million hectares and conserve three million hectares of kelp forests by 2040. Investments in nature-based solutions total roughly US$133 billion annually, and ocean-focused initiatives are expected to grow, particularly as governments and companies seek to strengthen global food security by enhancing harvestable fish stocks. SeaForester’s role includes providing verified data and hands-on experience to help achieve these ambitions.
For restoration efforts to be assessed effectively, accurate quantification and documentation are essential. Yet there are few industrial-scale solutions for mapping and measuring kelp forests and related ecosystems. This gap spans multiple sensing methods, underscoring the need for the new collaboration. “I have great hopes for the positive effects of this partnership,” Bakken adds.
