In this episode of Act Local, we dive into Tassie’s giant kelp and chat to the giant legends who are using AI to save it.

 

Have you heard of the Great Southern Reef? Despite 70% of Australians living within 50km of it, most have never heard of it.

The Great Barrier Reef steals the show, despite the Great Southern Reef stretching across the coastline of five Australian states and being a vital habitat for thousands of marine animals.

Only 5% of giant kelp forests remain in lutruwita / Tasmania, as this integral part of the Great Southern Reef suffers from rising sea temperatures.

Google has partnered with The Great Southern Reef Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the CSIRO, the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, and the Kelp Forest Alliance to combine restoration efforts and use Google AI to help the kelp.

Intrigued? Thought AI was just taking our jobs, not actually helping the planet?

Watch Cameron Doyle head down to Tassie to dive into all things Giant kelp restoration and learn how AI can help.

If you want to hear about more local legends doing their bit to protect the natural world, check out the other episodes of Act Local.

 

Feature photo by Stefan Andrews

This article is part of Act Local, our project to champion grassroots conservationists who are getting their hands dirty and having a positive environmental impact in their local communities. Check it out!

The author was a guest for this article so that they could try all of the experiences for themself. Check out our Editorial Standards for more info on how we approach these partnerships.