Enhancing Marine Biodiversity with Artificial Structures

Abstract

Degradation of the marine environment by human activity has resulted in deterioration of the ecological integrity of major marine ecosystems as well as reduction and loss of biodiversity. Artificial structures have been known to enhance marine biodiversity in both coastal and offshore waters. These include structures primarily intended to restore marine life, such as artificial reefs, and structures not intended to enhance biodiversity, but that can contribute towards it, such as seawalls, pilings, breakwaters, and oil and gas installations. The former is designed to mimic structural aspects of the natural reef that will support the expansion of biodiversity and are meant to counterbalance reef degradation and declining fish stocks. The latter has the potential to support biodiversity, which can be enhanced by ecological engineering to incorporate features that encourage the development of biodiversity. These enhancements can transform these abiotic structures into effective substrates for supporting biotic communities in the surrounding environment. Installations such as oil and gas rigs function like an artificial reef throughout their operational phase. At the end of their production life they can be fully converted to artificial reefs as their ecological contribution cannot be ignored. Anthropogenic structures in the marine environment have a role to play in enhancing biodiversity.

Haven or hell? A perspective on the ecology of offshore oil and gas platforms

“…Marine infrastructure acts in the opposite way, creating "new" islands open to colonisation that increases local biodiversity and regional heterogeneity in both coastal and offshore waters [8]. Although these structures were not primarily intended to support marine life or enhance biodiversity, they have contributed towards it, mimicking structural aspects of a natural reef and counterbalancing reef degradation and declining fish stocks [14] but also introducing risks associated with invasive species (Table 1, Section 8). The major groups of organisms associated with OGP will be discussed below.…”