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Timber slash and debris from flooding events is decimating Aotearoa New Zealand’s vital underwater kelp forests, a nationwide study shows.
Timber slash and debris from flooding events is decimating Aotearoa New Zealand’s vital underwater kelp forests, a nationwide study shows.
University of Canterbury Marine Science Distinguished Professor David Schiel, one of the leaders of the multi-agency five-year research project, says kelp forests rely on sunlight which is blocked by silt and other contaminants which pour off flooded land during increasingly frequent storm events.
This is a major concern for marine biodiversity because kelp forests support many species of invertebrates, sponges and other plants that coastal fish species feed on.
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