'I say kelp, you say… slimy? Ask around but I bet that for many “magical” is the last word that springs to mind when you mention kelp. For most, the word conjures up little more than memories of slippery seaweed stacks on the beach or perhaps thoughts of a salty snack. Well, I am here to tell you that there’s more to kelp than what’s washed up on the beach or cradling your sushi roll. Nestled just below the surface of cool, coastal shores lies an underwater forest teeming with life. Kelp forests are complex (and magical!) ecosystems, but sadly, as the saying goes “out of sight” often means “out of mind”.'

Source: Help, Whats Kelp. The marine diaries

https://www.themarinediaries.com/tmd-blog/help-whats-kelp

Undertaking fieldwork with this case study will assist students to understand the topic content, develop inquiry skills, and link fieldwork techniques to vocations.

Opening Credits

This resource has been created to provide a geographical perspective on Australia’s Great Southern Reef kelp forests using the following resources.

An extensive list of references is provided at the end of this site.

1. Great Southern Reef https://greatsouthernreef.com

2. Teachers of the Great Southern Reef Facebook Group (and Instagram)

https://www.facebook.com/greatsouthernreef/

* Stefan Andrews is the creator of both the website and Facebook Group. Stefan is a marine biologist, videographer, and marine educator.

3. Australian Academy of Science. Who’s heard of the Great Southern Reef

https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/whos-heard-great-southern-reef

5. Kelp Forest Restoration in Australia. Layton, C., Coleman, M., Marzinelli, E., Steinberg, P., Swearer, S., Vergés, A., Wernberg, T. and Johnson, C., 2021. Frontiers in Marine Science. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00074/full

4. The ‘Great Southern Reef’: social, ecological and economic value of Australia’s neglected kelp forests.’ Scott Bennett, Thomas Wernberg, Sean D. Connell, Alistair J. Hobday, Craig R. Johnson and Elvira S. Poloczanska

6. Reef Life Survey https://reeflifesurvey.com

7. Sydney Institute of marine Science (SIMS): Operation Crayweed. Restoring Sydney’s Underwater Forests. http://www.operationcrayweed.com

8. BBC Travel Australia’s forgotten other ‘Great Reef’ https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200922-australias-forgotten-other-great-reef

9. National Geographic. Great Southern Reef

https://fieldnotes.nationalgeographic.org/expedition/greatsouthernreef

10. Stefan Andrews (Ocean Imaging), John Turnbull (#MarineExplorer), Cayne Layton, Haig Gilchrist, Sydney Institute of Marine Science, (SIMS), Justin Gilligan, Jennifer Turpin Studios, Lorraine Chaffer (GTANSW & ACT) and @ saltywings on Instagram - for photographs used in the resource.

11. Parks Victoria - in particular Mark Rodrigue, Program Leader - Marine and Coasts www.parks.vic.gov.au