Argentina has reached an important milestone for marine conservation. With the unanimous approval of new provincial legislation in Santa Cruz in December 2025, approximately 90% of the country’s wild giant kelp forests are now legally protected.

The vast majority of Argentina’s wild kelp forests are found in the southern provinces of Tierra del Fuego and Santa Cruz.  Together, legislation passed in Tierra del Fuego in 2024 and Santa Cruz in 2025 now provides comprehensive legal protection across this core kelp ecosystem.

These underwater forests are among the largest and least disturbed in the world, supporting marine life, storing carbon, and helping coastal ecosystems adapt to climate change.

The outcome follows three years of focused work by Por el Mar, supported by scientific research developed in partnership with Stanford University’s Más Kelp programme and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Kelp Watch data initiative. The legislation prohibits unsustainable extraction while promoting regenerative alternatives, ensuring protection at ecosystem scale.

This work is supported by Becht Foundation and demonstrates how robust science, combined with sustained policy engagement, can deliver lasting protection for vital marine ecosystems.