The Marbella Sports Port installs six micro-reefs to boost the renaturalization of marine biodiversity

The Virgen del Carmen Marina in Marbella is immersed in a sustainability and efficiency process to protect the marine environment, which has begun with the installation of six structures that replicate the behavior of a natural reef to promote the renaturalization of the aquatic ecosystem within the port enclosure. These elements, called 'Life Boosting Units', act as biomimetic reefs, designed to integrate into port infrastructures without interfering with their operation.

Thanks to their natural substrate and configuration, "these units facilitate the attraction of microfauna, offering refuge to different species and contributing to the improvement of the marine environment quality," explained the Marina Director, Carlos Romero, who indicated that the installation begins with a colonization phase of six months, after which "periodic scientific monitoring will take place, with indicators evolving depending on the biological cycle of the species and the season we are in."

The initiative is part of the port enclosure's sustainability strategy to attract microfauna, offer refuge to species, and improve the quality of the coastal environment

In this regard, Romero highlighted that the results will allow for the evaluation of the biodiversity evolution associated with the structures to be later included in a results report. The project also incorporates a monitoring system using ROV technology (underwater drones) and data analysis tools, which will allow for "detailed tracking of the colonization of the structures and the associated environmental indicators," stated the nautical enclosure's manager.

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This initiative, carried out in collaboration with the specialized company Ocean Ecostructures, will also measure the actual impact in terms of biodiversity, CO2 capture, biomass generation, and detection of invasive species. In this regard, Anna Lloveras, co-founder of the company, pointed out that artificial reefs constitute "a nature-based solution with high potential for the recovery of marine biodiversity and the strengthening of ecosystems" and emphasized that "their design and implementation, supported by rigorous scientific criteria, enable the rehabilitation of deteriorated habitats and provide positive, real, and quantifiable impacts to the marine environment."