Kwum Kwum Island, a Squamish name meaning “area of plentiful kelp,” was once characterized by a thriving underwater forest that supported a rich diversity of marine life. Fish, sea otters and sea stars inhabited the kelp ecosystem, while local fishers relied on its abundance for their livelihoods.

Today Kwum Kwum, the westernmost island in the Defence Islands in Howe Sound Inlet, has undergone a significant ecological transformation. The once-vibrant kelp forest has been replaced by an urchin barren.

Kelp forests, found along more than a quarter of the world’s coastlines, are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet — for reference, that’s five times more prevalent than coral reefs. These forests support fisheries, provide shelter and nurseries for marine life and help stabilize coastal food webs. In many areas, these dense underwater forests of kelp have vanished, replaced by “urchin barrens,” stretches of seafloor overrun by sea urchins and largely devoid of other marine life, which leads to serious consequences for coastal communities. Where towering kelp once provided habitat for fish, invertebrates and marine mammals, there is now little more than bare rock. When kelp disappears, biodiversity declines, which has a devastating impact on the resilience of the ecosystems and fisheries that depend on it.

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