Sea otters are keystone species that maintain kelp forests by controlling urchin populations. Their ecosystem role and individual welfare are deeply interlinked.
Sea otter welfare and ecosystem function are mutually reinforcing. Healthy kelp forests — maintained by otter predation on sea urchins — provide food, shelter, and protection for otters. Degraded environments lacking kelp reduce food availability and increase thermal stress for otters. Individual welfare depends on adequate access to diverse prey — sea otters in areas with high food competition show nutritional stress. Disease, particularly toxoplasmosis from cat feces in coastal runoff, causes neurological disease and death. Both individual welfare interventions and ecosystem protection contribute to otter wellbeing.