EcoReefs® is the first artifical reef specifically designed to rehabilitate damaged coral reefs.

EcoReefs installations create complex reef habitats over large areas using using mass-produced ceramic modules that mimic branching corals. The ceramic is non-toxic, pH neutral, food-grade stoneware, an eco-safe material ideal for the settlement of corals and other invertebrates.

An EcoReefs installation stabilizes loose substrate, slows water currents, shelters an abundance of small fish, and provides a wide variety of microenvironments for coral recruitment -- delivering many of the biological, ecological and physical conditions necessary for normal reef ecosystem function.

A naturalistic appearance gives EcoReefs installations high amenity value for dive tourism.

Developed by an experienced marine scientist and tested in field trials, EcoReefs is now used in some of the world's premier marine parks and dive resorts.

EcoReefs modules mimic the growth form of branching corals. When deployed in close-packed arrays, the modules create habitat ideal for small herbivorous fish and juvenile fish.

Providing habitat for herbivorous fish is a key aspect of the design, since corals depend on the presence of these fish to crop fast-growing algae that would otherwise overwhelm and kill the corals. Providing habitat for juvenile fish is critical for restocking depleted fisheries.

EcoReefs modules have design features to meet the needs of coral recruits, including shaded settling plates raised off of the bottom, fluted surfaces to generate turbulence, and a microporous surface texture for improved coral adhesion.

Transplantation is easy. Coral branch tips can be directly attached to the ceramic branches using cable ties. Nursery-grown corals can be mounted in wells provided on the upper surface of each module.

The modules are assembled from mass-produced components delivered in standard shipping containers -- a pre-fabricated kit for building a large reef. Mass production allows EcoReefs to large-scale, low-cost, ecologically significant interventions.

Fast and easy to deploy, EcoReefs can restock reef fish and improve coral cover.

How long will it take?

The potential for reef rehabilitation naturally varies across regions, and depends on the degree of degradation, level of conservation, and presence of other complicating factors such as chronic pollution, over fishing, or low concentrations of coral larvae.

Natural recovery time scales for badly damaged coral reefs are long -- on the order of 50 to 100 years or more.

Some settings offer almost no hope for recovery by natural means -- for example, sites where strong currents regularly sweep fields of loose rubble. Corals recruiting onto the rubble will be rolled and killed as soon as they are tall enough to feel the full force of the water flow.

EcoReefs can shorten these recovery times, to perhaps as little as 7 to 15 years.

Results from EcoReefs trials started in 2001 on blast-damaged reefs in Indonesia indicate that fish colonize the installation very quickly, with a diverse stable community established within the first few months. Coral larvae settled on the modules after coralline red algae became established. Young coral colonies large enough to be visible to the naked eye were apparent within the first two years.

Video still of fish schooling in and around the 2001 EcoReefs demo reef 70 days after installation. In the frame are sweetlips, snapper, emperors and bream.

Coral recruits on the 2001 EcoReefs demo reef after two years (left to right): Stylophora sp. on a shaded lower settling plate, Acropora sp. between upper surface branches, Favidae sp. on a lower branch near the substrate, Pocilliopora sp. on a shaded lower settling plate.

Why does it work?

EcoReefs installations simulate the habitat and life history of branching coral thickets.

Branching corals play an important role in the establishment of reef communities -- these pioneering species are typically the first to colonize barren reef areas.

Branching corals grow quickly, and form dense thickets that shelter a variety of fish, including the herbivores that keep reefs free of algae that would otherwise overwhelm and smother corals.

Branching corals can reproduce by fragmentation -- broken colonies scatter live branch fragments which quickly establish many new colonies.

EcoReef modules have a spiny, branching design that simulates the growth habit of branching corals. The modules create a dense, naturalistic reef thicket with abundant, dimensionally complex space for herbivorous fish and juvenile fish. Small reef fish living in the EcoReef naturally keep algae and soft coral overgrowth under control, creating favorable conditions for rapid coral colonization. Turbulence generated by the module branches slows water flow, helping to stabilize sediment in and around the the installation.

EcoReef modules also have shaded settling plates that are raised off the bottom to protect young corals from sand scour. The surface characteristics of the module ceramic are ideal for the rapid recruitment of young coral.

EcoReef modules are designed to fragment much like branching corals. Scattered module fragments overgrown by live coral can establish new coral colonies. Over time, the installation will degrade and disappear into the reef sediments, allowing the biological reef to completely replace the artificial reef.

EcoReefs rehabilitations are patterned after natural processes.

It's the only artificial reef system that has both conservation and ecotourism appeal.

EcoReefs Applications

EcoReefs can be used in a variety of applications, ranging from conservation projects to enhancing dive sites:

• Coral reef remediation where live cover has been damaged by anchoring, ship groundings, dredging or cable laying.

• Reef-scale rehabilitations over large areas where live coral cover has been obliterated by extensive blast fishing.

• House reef installations in barren, sandy areas for use by dive resorts and beachfront hotels.

Our services include:

• Damage assessments

• Site surveys

• Reef installations & installation training

• Long term monitoring & maintenance

• Custom manufacturing to meet specific needs

For more information, please contact EcoReefs.