Kelp Ark is a California nonprofit corporation, focused on the development of an algal seedbank for aquaculture and biofuel research, and mariculture education for students and our community, and protection and restoration of the marine environment.
At the heart of KelpArk is The Arkive, a living collection of seaweeds, microbes, and fungi from the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Each individual in this collection is a safeguard against loss, carrying the biodiversity and resilience of ocean life into the future. The Arkive is a library of life, a guarantee that the richness of our coasts will remain accessible for wild kelp bed restorers, marine researchers, and ocean farmers.
Restoring oceans begins with resilient seed. KelpArk protects the genetic diversity needed to rebuild wild kelp beds. We work hand in hand with restoration practitioners to provide the living resources, knowledge, and support they need to bring degraded kelp forests back to life.
Collaboration is at the heart of our work. KelpArk partners with universities, nonprofits, and industry leaders to drive innovation in seaweed science and conservation. Together, we advance research in genetics, microbiology, and cultivation, building the knowledge needed to understand, protect, and grow resilient kelp, ensuring discoveries translate into real-world strategies for restoration, aquaculture, and climate resilience.
Land has 1,300 seed banks. Kelps and their microbes had none — until KelpArk.
Founded on the belief that kelp forests, rich in biodiversity and vital to climate resilience, deserve the same care and long-term infrastructure as land ecosystems, Kelp Ark was created to fill a critical global gap. While more than 1,300 seed banks safeguard crops on land, the ocean had none. Without such infrastructure, we risk losing not only giant kelp but the entire web of life that depends on it.
In 2022, Kelp Ark became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving marine biodiversity and making it accessible for science, restoration, and sustainable aquaculture. In partnership with USC and UVM, we now steward the world’s largest collection of Eastern Pacific seaweeds. Our living archive includes kelps as well as their microbial and fungal partners, safeguarding the full ecological toolkit needed for resilience in a changing climate. Looking ahead, we are expanding across species and geographies to ensure marine genetic resources are protected with the same foresight that land crops have long enjoyed.
KelpArk’s core is The Arkive, a growing collection of seaweed, microbial, and fungal diversity safeguarded for the future.
We foster partner-driven science to deepen the understanding of kelp and their microbial communities, turning knowledge into solutions.
Through monthly Giant Kelp Clusters and community events, we invite the community to explore and discover the importance of kelp.
KelpArk hosts interns, cultivation workshops, statistical computing workshops, internships, and student informational sessions, providing students the opportunity to learn and grow with kelp.
Receive our latest blog posts directly in your inbox!