Science
Living Seawalls provides an evidence-based solution to increasing the ecological value of artificial structures in the marine enviornment. Living Seawalls is built upon over 20 years of scientific research, conducted by our team and others, that demonstrates that incorporating ecologically friendly principles into new and existing construction can have significant biodiversity benefits.
Our scientific research in Sydney Harbour has shown that after 1-2 years Living Seawalls already support at least 36% more species than plain, unmodified seawalls, with as many as 85 species of invertebrates, seaweeds and fish living and growing on the panels. This is similar to what we found on nearby natural rocky reefs, which are hotspots of biodiversity. The benefits of Living Seawalls, however, extend beyond invertebrates and seaweeds. Fish like to shelter in the habitat provided and benefit from the additional food sources found on the panels. By 2 years post-installation, we found a greater number of fish in and around the Living Seawalls panels than on unmodified, flat, seawalls. Our panels have been engineered to last at least 20 years, and it is likely that as time elapses, Living Seawalls will serve as a home to, and attract, even more species.
Humans also benefit directly from Living Seawalls. Our research has demonstrated that where habitat-enhancing panels bolster the biodiversity and number of oysters and mussels, they can also enhance particle removal from the water. Hence, installing Living Seawalls may improve local water clarity and quality. This in turn enhances recreational activities including swimming, fishing and water sports in and around urban oceans.
Monitoring & Evaluation
Living Seawalls has an active monitoring programme at several installation sites, collecting data to evaluate the ongoing success of our solution.
We conduct regular biodiversity surveys of epibenthic and fish communities to quantify the diversity and abundance of organisms inhabiting Living Seawalls and surrounding areas. Additionally, we evaluate ecosystem functioning and photosynthetic efficiency of Living Seawalls, comparing these to nearby non-modified seawalls and natural rocky shorelines.
