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SeaTrees by Sustainable Surf

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Mission

We believe the ocean is the hero at the center of our story – and we can work with it to reverse climate change. At Sustainable Surf we’re optimistic and solutions focused. We’re here to hack the system - for good. But there’s no time to waste. The global scientific consensus is clear - we have until 2030 to reduce our collective carbon footprint to avoid passing a catastrophic climate tipping point.

About

SeaTrees directly supports communities and scientists who protect and regenerate blue-carbon coastal ecosystems. This includes planting mangrove trees, restoring kelp forests, coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and conserving coastal watersheds.

Coverage

Events

Programs

Highlights

3,000 km

Programs

Baja, Mexico — Mangrove Forest Planting

Enhancing coastal resilience by planting and protecting mangrove ecosystems. Laguna San Ignacio is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s last undeveloped California gray whale breeding lagoon. It is located within El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, a 6.2 million acres natural protected area. Mangroves play a significant role in the region’s local economy, provide nursery and feeding grounds for commercially important fisheries and other wildlife, and buffer coastal communities against storm surge and sea level rise. Together, SeaTrees and WILDCOAST have begun the process of planting 100,000 mangrove trees across 25 acres of mangrove habitat in collaboration with the “Mujeres de El Dátil." This group of women are from the local area and have witnessed the degredation of this critical habitat first hand, and are now helping us restore the mangrove forest in the protected waters of Laguna San Ignacio.

Bali, Indonesia — Coral Reef Restoration

Restoring Bali's Coral Reefs This project restores the degraded coral reefs on Nusa Penida Island in Bali, Indonesia. SeaTrees project partner, Ocean Gardener, employs local Balinese fishermen to restore the reef and monitor the regeneration until it can survive on its own. In 2021, 6,000 fragments of coral were planted and in May 2022 we expanded the project to a new restoration site in Crystal Bay and are planting another 6,000 coral fragments. We also began the process of scientific monitoring using 3D mapping technology with Scripps Institute of Oceanography. The conservation of these ecosystems is vital to coastal protection, scientific research, medication, fishing, eco-tourism, and more. Restoring these reefs will provide a habitat for more than 500 species of fish, many of which are currently considered vulnerable to extinction, and create 20 jobs for local villagers, supporting 12 families. This is important because coral reefs are threatened globally. About half of the world’s coral reefs have been lost in the last 30 years. More than 60% of the remaining reefs are threatened by human activity, with Indonesia being one of the largest areas of vulnerability. Known as the “rainforests of the sea,” coral reefs are the largest living structures on earth and support 25% of marine life.

Biak, Indonesia — Mangrove Forests Planting

Restoring mangrove ecosystems and supporting local livelihoods This project restores and protects 46 hectares of highly degraded mangrove forest. Biak Island's mangrove estuaries are 75% deforested. Located in the center of the Coral Triangle, the reefs around the Biak Island Region have some of the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet. SeaTrees has worked with Eden Reforestation Projects since June 2019, starting with a small plot of 60,000 mangrove trees on the main island of Biak, Indonesia. SeaTrees quickly maxed out the planting site at Mnurwar and in January 2020 began planting mangrove trees on the neighboring island of Padaidori. Just a few months later in October 2020, the project expanded to a second planting site on Padaidori. By the end of this year, SeaTrees will have planted just over 700,000 mangrove trees with Eden Reforestation Projects in the Biak Island Region.

Broad Cove, Maine — Oyster Reef Restoration

Running Tide Oyster Reef Restoration Monitoring Project SeaTrees has partnered with Running Tide to restore degraded coastal habitat in Broad Cove, off the coast of Yarmouth, Maine. Running Tide is a global ocean health company that specializes in state-of-the-art ecosystem monitoring using various technologies, like environmental DNA (eDNA), remote underwater cameras, and real-time monitoring buoys that take hourly measurements of dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, pH, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity and transmit this information via satellite.

Cascais, Portugal — Kelp Forest Restoration

Restoring Portugal’s Forgotten Forests Kelp forests used to be abundant along the coastline of Cascais but have largely disappeared in the last thirty to forty years. SeaTrees has made an early stage investment in the development of the green gravel technique for doing kelp forest restoration off the shallow coast of Cascais, Portugal. We will be working with SeaForester to implement this kelp forest restoration project with the deployment of 25,000 stones over 27,000 sq-ft of kelp forest.

Colombia Pacific Coast — Ridge-to-Reef Watershed Restoration

The Colombia Pacific Watershed Projects This collection of projects protects 117,740 hectares of coastal watershed along the Pacific coast of Colombia. Located along Colombia's Pacific coast, this collection of projects includes three sites and mangrove forest-protected areas, Mutatá, Bahia Malaga-Bajo Calima, and Bajo Mira y Frontera and conserves a critical part of the South American tropical forest, which is home to 10% of the entire planet’s animal and plant species. This area is one of Colombia’s poorest and historically marginalized regions. These projects improve the well-being of over 40,000 people, increase employment opportunities for the local afro-descendent and indigenous communities, implement systematic protection of mangrove forests, and maintain biodiversity.

La Jolla, CA — Kelp Carbon Science

Kelp forests can sequester carbon at a high rate, and Carbon finance could fund kelp forest restoration projects globally. BUT Scientists cannot yet fully quantify carbon sequestration from kelp forests, and this holds back funding and policy development around kelp forest restoration.

La Jolla, CA — Kelp Restoration Science

This is an exciting time for kelp restoration in California and around the world. Kelp forests are incredibly diverse and complex ecosystems, and because of that complexity, there are still many scientific unknowns on the best ways to restore lost kelp forests. Some methods to restore kelp forests have been proven very effective, such as urchin culling developed by The Bay Foundation at Palos Verdes. However what if urchin barrens are not the problem preventing kelp from coming back?

Mallorca, Spain — Seagrass Restoration

A window in the sea, into what can be. SeaTrees is working in collaboration with The Cleanwave Foundation, a Mediterranean based non-profit, on their MedGardens Seagrass and Macroalgae Restoration Project which seeks to holistically restore the marine ecosystem surrounding the well known tourist destination of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain. This is our first-ever seagrass restoration project, supporting the restoration of one of three sites at Formentor, covering an area of 53,820 sq-ft. The holistic project employs a variety of methods to achieve its goals, including research, marine debris removal, community engagement through education, hands-on training and volunteer opportunities, educational signage, and the promotion of a blue economy. The project has also collaborated with local authorities to implement more sustainable mooring equipment, which is vital in an area with high boat traffic. To learn more about the sustainable development benefits provided by this project, click here.

Marereni, Kenya — Mangrove Forest Planting

Empowering local communities to plant and protect mangrove ecosystems. This project restores and protects 640 hectares of highly degraded mangrove forest within Kilifi County in Kenya. With the help of project partners COBEC (Community Based Environmental Conservation) and the local community, SeaTrees will support the planting of over 775,000 mangrove trees at our new project site in Kenya. The project site encompasses the Marereni mangrove forest ecosystems along Kenya’s eastern coast.

Maui, Hawaii — Watershed Restoration

Protecting coastal watersheds through riparian restoration and regenerative agriculture The Island of Maui is rich in plant and animal biodiversity and historically has served as a model ecosystem for living sustainably in harmony with the land. In recent decades, however, parts of Maui have faced neglect and are in need of restoration. In the HO’OWAIWAI Watershed Project (pronounced as "ho-oh-vye-vye"), SeaTrees and Regenerative Education Centers will restore and regenerate critical coastal watershed systems, known in the Hawaiian language as an Ahupua'a (pronounced ahoo-poo-ah-ah). We will focus on two Mokus (or districts) within these Ahupua’a, Maliko Gulch and Launiupoko. Regenerative Education Centers restores and maintains the land by direct restoration of the stream bed and regenerative agricultural practices, which then serves the community as a source of regenerative organic produce, erosion prevention, and protection for the neighboring reefs.

Mida Creek, Kenya — Mangrove Forests Planting

Empowering local villages to plant + protect mangrove ecosystems. This project restores 100+ hectares of degraded mangrove forest within the Malindi Watamu National Marine Park and Reserve - a UNESCO Designated Biosphere Area + one of the world’s oldest Marine Protected Areas. In partnership with the local community, 1 million mangrove SeaTrees will be planted throughout the Mida Creek Region.

Monterey, CA — Kelp Forest Restoration

Community-led Kelp Restoration In partnership with Reef Check California and G2KR, we're supporting local “citizen scientists” to restore a one hectare plot of Giant Kelp forest.

Moss Landing, CA — Kelp and Sunflower Star Restoration

Restoring Sunflower Stars to Save California's Kelp For more than a century, California's kelp forests have been steadily declining, a trend exacerbated by the disappearance of sunflower stars from our coastal ecosystems in 2013/14. Southern California has lost over half of its kelp cover in the last century, while Northern California has lost over 96% of its kelp cover in the last decade. There is an urgent need to restore ecosystem function to our kelp forest environments by keeping urchin grazing in check through the predation effects of sunflower stars. Over the past few years, Sunflower Star Laboratory (SSL) has dedicated its efforts to enhancing sustainable conservation aquaculture techniques for echinoderm species. Their focus includes coordinating captive breeding initiatives for Pycnopodia helianthoides, commonly known as Sunflower Stars, aiming for sustainable sunflower star aquaculture. SeaTrees has partnered with SSL to assist in long-term sustainable sunflower star aquaculture and research into their recovery to aid kelp forest restoration efforts. With your support, we are able to fund most of the laboratory operating costs during a year of rapid organizational development, enabling Sunflower Star Laboratory to settle and grow pycnopodia and other local echinoderms.

Palos Verdes, CA — Kelp Forest Restoration

Giant Kelp Forest Regeneration Kelp Ecosystems in California are in a state of crisis. In the last 10 years, more than 85% of Southern California's Giant Kelp forests have been devastated. Similarly, in Northern California, almost 95% of the Bull Kelp forests have disappeared. The primary cause behind this devastation is the overabundance of purple sea urchins - whose population has proliferated due to the disappearance of their natural predator - the sea otter. This chain of challenges serves as a concerning illustration of how human impacts and climate change can profoundly impact the health of ecosystems. Clearing "urchin barrens" allows rapidly growing kelp to regrow and re-establish into a healthy kelp forest - creating habitat for marine life and sequestering carbon emissions. The latest science shows that globally, kelp forests can sequester more carbon than mangrove forests - restoring these sequoias of the sea is critical to solving climate change.

Setúbal, Portugal — Seagrass Restoration

Working with coastal communities to transform behaviors for ocean protection. We have partnered with Ocean Alive, Portugal’s first non profit cultural cooperative dedicated to ocean protection, to begin the conservation of 1 hectare of seagrass meadow in the Sado Estuary of Setúbal, Portugal. Led and operated by women, this seagrass protection and community education project aims to safeguard a naturally emerging seagrass meadow in Cambalhao Bay. Unlike a conventional restoration project, the objective is to mitigate the detrimental impact of anchoring and poor navigation and protect the meadow.

Southern Cardamom, Cambodia — Ridge-to-Reef Watershed Restoration

Protecting the Southern Cardamom Watershed in Cambodia The Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project stretches from the Cardamom Mountains in Cambodia down to the Gulf of Thailand. This incredible watershed is one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots and drains into one of Southeast Asia’s largest mangrove forests, located in the Koh Kong estuary. Together with the local community, SeaTrees is working to protect 497,000 hectares of this critical coastal watershed. The Southern Cardamom Project is designed to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation, maintain biodiversity and create alternative livelihoods under the United Nations REDD+ scheme. The project is part of the Indo-Burma Hotspot, one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots, and is a critical watershed for the Gulf of Thailand, with a mosaic of habitats from dense evergreen and pine forests on its ridge tops to lowland melaleuca wetlands, flooded grasslands, lakes and coastal mangroves in its lowlands.

Sydney, Australia — Kelp Forest Restoration

Restoring Sydney's Lost Kelp Forests With the support of our local project partner Operation Crayweed, SeaTrees is conducting the restoration of 43,056 sq-ft (4,000 sq-m) of kelp within two separate project sites along the South Bondi subtidal rocky reef in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Our vision is to restore all of the 70km of lost kelp forests along the Sydney coast.

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