Kelp forests are essential for marine biodiversity and carbon sequestration but they are threatened by an explosion of sea urchin populations.
Photo: Urchinomics.
Nestlé Purina PetCare Europe has announced its participation as a founding member of the Norwegian Marine Restoration (NoMaRe) platform, a collaborative initiative dedicated to advancing marine restoration efforts in Norway.
The platform aims to restore crucial marine ecosystems, initially focusing on the restoration of kelp forests across 5,000 km² in Northern Norway by removing excess sea urchins.
NoMaRe's mission is to make marine restoration a national priority by influencing policies and regulations, as well as securing essential funding from both state and private sources, the organization said.
"Through advocacy efforts, industry collaboration and implementing practical restoration trials, the platform aims to speed up research, facilitate knowledge-sharing and gain support in order to accelerate progress in marine restoration," the NoMaRe platform stated in a press release, noting that the founding partners will play a key role in contributing knowledge and expertise, as well as strategic support for the platform's efforts in restoration and advocacy.
Alongside Purina, the other founding members of NoMaRe are non-profit organization The Bellona Foundation, sea urchin aquaculture firm Urchinomics, Norwegian volunteer organization Tarevoktere ("Guardians of the Sea"), and seaweed harvesting and processing firm, IFF N&H Norway.
“Collaborative efforts are required to address the dramatic decline in marine biodiversity across Europe. At Purina, we recently launched our Ocean Restoration Programme to help tackle this challenge by restoring marine habitats across Europe, because fish by-products are part of our extended supply chain," said Kerstin Schmeiduch, Director of Sustainability & Corporate Communications, Purina Europe.
Launched this year, Purina Europe’s Ocean Restoration Programme aims to tackle biodiversity loss in the company's extended supply chain, partnering with expert organizations across Europe to restore vital marine habitats such as seagrass, oyster reefs, and kelp forests. In Norway, Purina's partnership with Urchinomics, supported by Bellona as an advisory partner, is a key component of these efforts, Schmeiduch said.
"We are now delighted to be joining the NoMaRe platform as a founding partner, which we hope will bring benefits to the marine restoration work being done through our Programme in Norway due to the shared interests and ambitions of the platform.”
Kelp forests, which are vital for marine biodiversity and carbon sequestration, have been severely impacted globally, with 60% disappearing in recent decades due to human activities and overgrazing by sea urchins following the decline of their natural predators.
NoMaRe's founders are seeking to reverse this trend in Norway by focusing on kelp restoration in the northern regions, an effort critical to preserving these ecosystems.
“The loss of the kelp forest is Norway's forgotten environmental crisis. Through our involvement in NoMaRe, Bellona aims to use our extensive experience in ecological restoration to facilitate a large-scale restoration of the Norwegian kelp forest," said Joakim Hauge, Global Head of Science and Strategy, Bellona.
"The partners in NoMaRe are already well underway with practical restoration trials and knowledge gathering. At the same time, it will be important for us to accelerate research, knowledge dissemination, and advocacy," Hauge continued.
"We need to establish a national initiative for restoring the Norwegian kelp forest as soon as possible. Such an initiative could provide Norway with substantial climate and environmental benefits. We are very pleased to welcome Nestle Petcare Purina Europe as founding partner of NoMaRe and we acknowledge their commitment to marine restoration through their Ocean Restoration Programme," he added.