Resilient sea kelp surprises scientists

Kelp forests around the world, including in Australia, are standing up to human activity better than expected, researchers say.

Scientists have uncovered a surprising resilience to human activity by sea kelp, despite significant losses at key sites around Australia.

Researchers around the world, including some based in Hobart, have studied half a century of data to find there has been a 38 per cent decline in kelp including in Western Australia, around Sydney, and in Tasmania. But there has also been a 27 per cent increase in monitored zones, with 35 per cent considered stable.

"Our results were surprising. We expected to find that kelp has been declining globally, like many other species, but what we actually found is a much more complex story," lead researcher Kira Krumhansl said in research published on Tuesday.