Report warns most assessed kelp forests are degraded
An Australian non-profit reported at the UN biodiversity talks that more than 60% of evaluated kelp forests are degraded. It identifies ocean warming and overgrazing as the leading causes of the decline.
The report was presented during the UN biodiversity talks, identified in the source as COP17, by an Australian non-profit organization. Its finding applies to kelp forests that were assessed, rather than to every kelp forest worldwide.
The article names ocean warming and overgrazing as the two most severe pressures behind the declines. It was published by Carbon Pulse on 24 October 2026 and tagged across Asia-Pacific, Americas, EMEA, and international biodiversity policy categories.
The finding may sharpen attention at biodiversity talks on coastal habitat loss, with possible consequences for communities and industries that depend on kelp-associated fisheries and coastal protection. Resource managers and local groups could face pressure to monitor grazing and warming impacts more closely, while conservation funders may see kelp restoration as a higher priority. Effects may vary by region and depend on how assessments translate into policy and management responses.