More Biodiversity and Better Ecosystem: First Results from Marbella's Micro-Reefs

José Carlos García

Marbella

The marine renaturalization plan promoted by the Virgen del Carmen Sports Port in Marbella, through the installation of six biomimetic structures inspired by natural reefs, has begun to yield positive results in the recovery of biodiversity within the port enclosure. The mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, accompanied by the director of the facility, Carlos Romero, presided over an informative session, in which more than twenty 1st year high school students from IES Sierra Blanca participated. The technical team responsible for monitoring this measure has confirmed the appearance and colonization of various species of microfauna and marine organisms.

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

The mayor indicated that these micro-reefs, named 'Life Boosting Units,' are systems that perform periodic scientific monitoring, evaluating the evolution of the species associated with these structures, and analyzing environmental indicators linked to the quality of the marine environment. She added that the monitoring of these reports is being carried out using ROV technology, "underwater drones with analysis tools, which have allowed us to document the colonization process and study the impact of these nature-based solutions within port infrastructures."

Muñoz highlighted that the dissemination of this data "is fundamental to raise awareness about the importance of protecting and recovering our marine ecosystems, especially among younger generations," and emphasized that "we wanted to involve students from the Biology subject at IES Sierra Blanca actively, to firsthand introduce them to a pioneering project that combines sustainability, innovation, and applied science in the marine environment." In this regard, she recalled that the sports port has all the certifications in this area, such as the Blue Flag and the Q for quality.

Sustainability Strategy

She also valued the educational component of the session and pointed out that "it is essential to involve young people in these types of actions, because they will be the ones who lead in the future the conservation of the environment and the development of more sustainable cities," an activity that has been complemented with the classes that the students have received at the Yacht Club. For his part, the director of the port facility noted that the initial results obtained "confirm that nature-based solutions can be successfully integrated into port infrastructures, generating a positive and tangible impact on marine biodiversity."

In this regard, Romero reported that the installation of these biomimetic structures "represents an important step in the environmental sustainability strategy of the port," and stressed that the goal "is not only to improve the ecosystem within the port precinct but to turn this space into a benchmark for blue innovation and responsible coexistence between human activity and marine conservation." He also advanced that the scientific monitoring will continue over the coming months "to assess the evolution of the colonizing species and continue gathering information that allows expanding these sustainable solutions to other port spaces."

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• Marbella
• María Ángeles Muñoz Uriol
• Sustainability