University of Applied Sciences Van Hall Larenstein and Wageningen University and Research recently conducted a comparative study of artificial reefs within the Caribbean. This study provides new insights into the impacts of these structures on local marine life and neighboring ecosystems and highlight …

Caribbean coral reefs are in decline and the deployment of artificial reefs, structures on the sea bottom that mimic one or more characteristics of a natural reef, is increasingly often considered to sustain ecosystem services. Independent of their specific purposes, it is essential that artificial reefs …

Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein en Wageningen University en Research hebben onlangs een vergelijkend onderzoek gedaan naar kunstmatige riffen in het Caribisch gebied. Deze studie biedt nieuwe inzichten in de effecten van deze structuren op het lokale zeeleven en aangrenzende ecosystemen en benadrukt de …

In this study, we compared the early fish colonization of three types of artificial reefs deployed in the coastal waters of Saba and St Eustatius in the Caribbean: reef balls®, layered cakes and piles of locally obtained basaltic rock. As an indicator of performance, three fish assemblage parameters …

The coral reef ecosystem provides important services such as tourism revenue, food, pharmaceutical products and coastal defence. Coral reefs are under a severe amount of threats such as pollution, overfishing and climate change. These threats result in a decrease of coral reefs and so a decrease in three- …

For multiple reasons, such as changing ocean temperatures, overfishing and unsustainable tourism coral reefs are declining worldwide. A negative feedback loop is created by the loss of three-dimensional structures that the coral reefs create. These three-dimensional structures provide shelters for grazing …

Coral reefs have been in decline over the past decades. This has greatly increased the need for restorative measures. The islands of Saba and St. Eustatius, two special Dutch municipalities in the Dutch Caribbean, are not exempt to this decline. The Saba Conservation Foundation and St. Eustatius National …

Coral reefs are one of the most important ecosystems in the world, in terms of both biological diversity and economy. These ecosystems are under a great amount of threats (e.g. climate change, pollution, coastal development and overfishing), which can lead to reef degradation and decrease of three-dimensional …

Als vissen niet meer terecht kunnen in koraalriffen, wat is dan het beste kunstmatige onderkomen dat wij mensen ze kunnen bieden? Alwin Hylkema, onderzoeker aan Hogeschool van Hall Larenstein in Leeuwarden, onderzoekt of, en zo ja welke, kunstmatige riffen een tijdelijke schuilplaats kunnen bieden voor …

The use of artificial reefs for purposes of ecosystem restoration and enhancement is gaining popularity due to recent declines of marine ecosystems. In particular the global decline of natural coral reefs and fish populations demands suitable approaches for improvement. However, is the availability of …