Living Seawalls offers an evidence-based solution to increase the ecological value of artificial marine structures. Inspired by nature, the project creates panels that can be installed on a variety of marine structures, providing a habitat for marine species. This innovative project is based on over 20 years of scientific research, and the monitoring of installed panels has shown a significant increase in marine species that are growing on and living around them. They are 100% unique to us!
The growing human population is rapidly increasing its environmental footprint in our oceans. This is in part due to a construction boom in our seas. The construction of marine structures, such as ports, harbours, offshore drilling platforms, and coastal developments, has significant and often detrimental effects on natural habitats and biodiversity in the world's oceans and coastal areas. Built structures have, typically, smooth, vertical surfaces, lacking the diversity of micro-habitats.
Living Seawalls has shown that despite marine construction being a large part of the problem, it can also be part of the solution. We offer habitat modules that can be pre-fabricated (3D printing) and incorporated into the design of new marine built structures or fitted to existing structures to enhance their ecological value. Living Seawalls habitat panels reintroduce missing protective spaces and increase the area of hard surface to which marine life can colonise. We bring life back to shore.
Scientific monitoring of Living Seawalls in Sydney Harbour for two years have found that panels support up to 3 times the number of species than flat surfaces of a similar age. More than 50% of Sydney Harbours shoreline is modified by seawalls. In areas with panels, we have seen an increase of up to 36% in the number of fish, seaweeds and invertebrates with more than 100 species living and growing on the panels. Panels stay intact for about 20 years and monitoring is still active and ongoing.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
