Nurturing Ocean Guardians of Future Generations: Kelp Forest Foundation's Upcoming Stewards
In a bid to address three Ocean Decade Challenges, The Blue House Fellowship Programme has been established, focusing on sustainably nourishing the global population, unlocking ocean-based solutions to climate change, and promoting skills, knowledge, technology, and participation for all. This innovative programme, a collaboration between Stuchtey Daughters & Sons, the Kelp Forest Foundation (KFF), Kelp Blue, and supported by De Beers Group, Global Seaweed Coalition, and other supporters, is making significant strides in understanding and preserving the often-overlooked heroes in combating climate change – kelp forests.
Kelp forests, teeming with life and complex in their delicate ecosystems, have been the focus of research projects supported by the Blue House Fellowship. These marine habitats provide homes for numerous marine species, improve water quality, buffer coastlines from storms, and draw carbon from the atmosphere. Dortea Hamukoto, a fellow, has been comparing the diversity of marine invertebrates in kelp farms and wild forest ecosystems, while Sakarias Malyenge tracks commercial fish species in kelp forests as part of his research.
Paula Sacheus, another fellow, monitors pH and oxygen levels in water samples to investigate kelp forests' ability to rebalance ocean chemistry. The programme's aim is to develop scientific and practical talent in natural ecosystems by providing rolling scholarships and apprenticeships to Namibian students, particularly women, and pairing them with peers from universities abroad.
The Blue House Fellowship Programme is more than just a research platform. It is a learning environment where people from different backgrounds, industries, topics, and fields of study come together to live and learn. It provides comprehensive practical training, including sea safety, SCUBA diving, presenting, public speaking, networking, species identification, lab techniques, seabird safety and monitoring, research vessel operation, and marine mammal entanglement prevention.
The Kelp Forest Foundation (KFF) shares the same vision, aiming to better understand kelp forests and believing they offer a nature-based solution to a sustainable future. KFF partners with scientists, universities, and businesses to build a sustainable kelp industry, restore kelp forests, and fundraise for projects to investigate key aspects of kelp health.
For those interested in getting involved, various opportunities are available. Participate in volunteer days and culling events organised by the foundation, particularly if you are a diver in the Oregon/Pacific Northwest area. These events help train Kelp Forest Monitoring divers and actively support kelp forest conservation. Join training programs designed to educate and engage citizen scientist divers to monitor kelp forest health, contributing directly to science-based ocean management and conservation.
Partner with the foundation's broader initiatives aimed at restoring kelp forests, building a sustainable kelp industry, and advocacy through storytelling and education. Check out their website or social media channels for updates on training opportunities, volunteer roles, and ways to donate or otherwise support their mission.
The Blue House Fellowship Programme and the Kelp Forest Foundation's efforts extend beyond Namibia. They are part of the GenOcean campaign, an official Ocean Decade campaign showcasing Decade Actions, collaborating organisations, and ocean leaders focusing on youth and citizen science opportunities. Together, they are fostering knowledge exchange and delivering climate and social impact, acting as a catalyst to bring sustainable strategies to life.
- The Blue House Fellowship Programme, in association with the Kelp Forest Foundation (KFF), is spearheading research focused on kelp forests, a critical environmental-science perspective in combating climate-change, by providing scholarships and apprenticeships for Namibian students, particularly women, to develop their scientific and practical talent.
- Learning opportunities are available for those interested, including volunteering for culling events organized by the Kelp Forest Foundation, joining training programs to educate and engage citizen scientist divers, and partnering with their broader initiatives to restore kelp forests, build a sustainable kelp industry, and advocate for ocean education and conservation.
- As part of the GenOcean campaign, an official Ocean Decade campaign, the Blue House Fellowship and Kelp Forest Foundation are fostering knowledge exchange and delivering climate and social impact, acting as a catalyst to bring sustainable strategies to life, with the ultimate goal of contributing to a future where education-and-self-development leads to lifelong learning and a deeper understanding of our impact on the environment.
