Major Funding Boost for Community-Led Seaweed Regeneration Project

Critical research into the climate-change resilience of New Zealand’s marine ecosystems, driven by a ground-breaking community-led project, is underway thanks to substantial funding that will make the vision to regenerate Wellington’s underwater forests a reality.

Love Rimurimu, initiated by Mountains to Sea Wellington, is the only project of its kind in the country and has secured a substantial funding boost from Wellington-based Clare Foundation, in collaboration with existing partner the Wellington Community Fund, whose three-year funding commitment enabled the project to get off the ground in 2021. Project lead at Love Rimurimu Zoe Studd says the funding from Clare will have a huge impact on the project’s team, their research, and a pathway to regeneration as they head into the second year of the project.

“It will enable critical research into climate change resilience, making sure our underwater forests survive in our changing environment,” says Ms Studd.

“We will be developing and setting up a spore bank of native seaweeds, and piloting different restoration methods, with a view to optimising their survival.”

Ms Studd also highlights the importance of the community-led nature of the project; bringing the community along with the project, working collaboratively, and sharing knowledge as key elements to its success.

“Thriving seaweeds means a protected coastline and a healthy marine ecosystem, values that are close to the heart of many locals. Even if people don’t understand the role seaweeds play,” says Ms Studd.

Leading New Zealand phycologist at NIWA Dr Roberta D’Archino has been collecting and managing the seaweed spores critical to the project. She says that the additional funding will allow them to expand the seaweed spore collection, and research reproduction and survival in the harbour.

“We know we can grow seaweed. The funding from Clare will allow us to do scientific experiments and figure out the best approach to restoration for the harbour,” says Dr D’Archino.

“It’ll give us the time we need to test substrates and optimal growth conditions with continuity as well to make all-year-round field observations, critical to understanding Macrocystis (giant kelp) populations at their northern limit.”

Researcher Roberta D’Archino is leading the scientific research team of the Love Rimurimu Project.

As a progressive philanthropic foundation with a proactive approach to seeking initiatives to support, Clare Foundation CEO Alice Montague says that Love Rimurimu is an outstanding example of the long-term vision that a project of this scale can have. “Love Rimurimu is not only working towards tangible and meaningful impact through their work, but their dedication to involving the community and the best scientific talent in the country is truly inspiring,” says Ms Montague. “The work of this project will set the standard for marine environmental care for generations to come. We hope it will also help us begin to understand the role that restoring marine biodiversity may play in sequestering carbon and mitigating climate change impacts” Ms Montague also noted, “The opportunity to co-fund alongside the Wellington Community Fund was a great fit for us and means that the Love Rimurimu team can focus on project delivery.”

This research is also inspiring young minds in the classroom through the Love Rimurimu education program. The program was initiated by Mountains to Sea Wellington in 2019 and eventually evolved into a restoration project. Education programme lead, Jorge Jimenez, says working with schools makes the project unique and is looking forward to watching their knowledge grow alongside the project.

“The young community voices are so important,” says Mr Jimenez. “Championing those voices, working with kura and growing the next generation of seaweed growers is integral to ensuring our underwater forests survive for generations.“‘

Also check out the corresponding article on RNZ, published on July the 5th:

Native seaweed research project secures substantial funding

Or at Wellington.Scoop

Major funding for project to regenerate Wellington’s underwater forests