Crustaceans in the spotlight at first meeting in Africa
From tiny amphipods navigating the kelp fronds to rock lobsters scuttling along the reefs, crustaceans are the seaforest’s great connectors. South Africa alone has described more than 13,000 marine animals, of which over 2,300 are Crustacea.
The Great African Seaforest finds its TIME
Kelp forests are on the cover of TIME magazine – a first in the publication’s 103-year history. The Great African Seaforest, one of the most biodiverse and least-known ecosystems on the planet, is now in front of a global audience.
Explore the Kelp Species of the Great African Seaforest
Three kelp species — Sea bamboo, Split-fan and Bladder kelp — form the Great African Seaforest, a 1000km biodiversity engine that shelters marine life, sequesters carbon and protects coastlines from waves.
Beyond Seaweed: Why Kelp Forests Are Vital to Life on Earth
Kelp forests support extraordinary ocean biodiversity and sequester carbon like terrestrial forests, yet over 60% have degraded. Darwin compared these vital ecosystems to tropical rainforests — and they deserve equal protection.
A Slow Remembering
There is a silence growing between us and Mother Earth. In South Africa, we spend nearly 10 hours a day online – more than any other nation – replacing wonder and wildness with the glow of screens. But through tracking and observation, young people are healing this rupture. At Windmill Beach, learners are rediscovering the ocean through the 1001 Seaforest Species project, studying intertidal creatures and learning Earth’s oldest language. Meanwhile, at !Khwa ttu, San interns reconnect with their ancestral knowledge, reading the shoreline and tracking animals, wind, and memory.
On Assignment for People and the Planet
How the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change took a classroom idea to the world’s highest court.
What’s Your Name?
A surprising discovery in South Africa’s kelp forest reveals the true identity of a cuttlefish – and why naming species correctly matters.
When Words Fail Us, We Fail Nature
Tracking a caracal along the shoreline reveals how we’ve lost the “language of the wild” – and why reclaiming it is key to nature connection and conservation.
Did UNOC3 Make Waves Or Just A Splash?
The Sea Change Project reflects on its first time attending the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, where kelp forests gained long-overdue political recognition. From inspiring side events to landmark pledges for marine protection, the week sparked renewed hope, connection, and commitment to our blue planet.
Two Creatures Turning Our Thinking Upside-Down
Jannes Landschoff and Craig Foster share their encounters with two fascinating marine creatures – an upside-down amphipod and a juvenile Cape sole – that challenged their understanding of the underwater world and highlighted the ocean’s enduring mysteries.