BLUECONNECT

BLUECONNECT aimed to create valuable training opportunities and research collaborations between South Africa and Norway that centred around knowledge-based management of kelp forest resources under changing ocean conditions.

Kelp forests are expanding in parts of Norway and South Africa with changing environmental conditions, despite declines in kelp globally.

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This SANOCEAN project measured the ecosystem services provided by kelp forests in South Africa and Norway, and built capacity for coastal research, sustainable development and management of these resources through high-level postgraduate training, collaborative research, as well as scientific knowledge transfer. This enabled communities to anticipate and prepare for future changes and possibly even benefit from these expanding ecosystems.