One of the delights of my recent research has been to discover animals that can help us fight the climate change battle. Sea otters, now recovering on the Pacific Coast of North America, are one of them. Their contribution to the maintenance of kelp forests is good for the climate and good for a productive and healthy coastline.
Discovering these happy synergies provides a chance to look at animals like sea otters in a different way. They are not only cute bundles of fur. They are ‘partners’ or ‘allies’ in some of our biggest challenges.
I wrote about this for BBC Future recently. The story is a heavily-adapted excerpt of a chapter from my book, Tenacious Beasts.
Enjoy “The Far-reaching Influence of Alaska’s Sea Otters.”
Christopher J. Preston 