Kelp forests are large brown seaweed ecosystems covering approximately one-quarter of the world’s coastlines, supporting thousands of organisms per square meter. The kelp creates three-dimensional marine habitats that play a key role in marine ecosystems. Kelp provides substantial value through different ecosystem services, such as supporting fish populations, cycling nutrients, sequestering carbon, and facilitating biodiversity in the ocean. Kelp forest coverage is declining at a rate of nearly two percent annually due to rising ocean temperatures, water quality issues and sea urchin overgrazing. Sea urchin overgrazing was identified as the most suitable subject for design intervention.

The sea urchin threat has intensified as their populations have grown rapidly over the past 50 years. Urchin populations have also migrated further north due to food shortage and rising ocean temperatures. As a result of these ecological changes, vast stretches of previously thriving, kelp-dominated ocean landscapes have been transformed into empty urchin barrens. An urchin barren is a formerly populated area that has become bare and empty due to vigorous, excessive grazing by urchins. The barren state has persisted for decades in certain regions, proving it remarkably resistant to natural recovery, and possibly irreversible without significant human intervention. Kelp forest degradation is a direct climate concern, considering its contributions to marine ecosystems, local economies, and climate change mitigation. The restoration of kelp forests has gained significant attention over the last years, aligning with both the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and Norway's pledge to restore 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. Personally, I was introduced to the problem through news coverage of the organization Tarevoktere. Tarevoktere are a Tromsø-based organization committed to kelp forest restoration, primarily through means of sea urchin management. As a research subject, kelp forest restoration is a compelling combination of ecological significance and systemic complexity. A significant design challenge, in which strategic intervention has the potential to play a major part. The thesis itself will entail a systems-oriented exploration of kelp forest restoration, an investigation of the complex dynamics of marine ecosystems, the identification of strategic intervention points, and a comprehensive intervention in the form of a kelp forest restoration platform. The platform is divided into three complementary elements, which aims to remove some of the implementation barriers that limit the scale and effectiveness of existing restoration efforts.