Substrate Addition - Artificial reef — Garu Falhu, 2.4 km northwest of Malé

OPP-DG9GPJpermanent identifier · cite as oceanportfolio.org/p/OPP-DG9GPJ

Published as: Re-establishment of fish populations on a reef flat degraded by coral quarrying in the Maldives | Technique: Substrate Addition - Artificial reef | Disturbance addressed: Coral mining | Genera: n/a | Method: Four sets of artificial structures of varying structural complexity were deployed into three replicate 5 x 10 m sites, each positioned at the centre of a 50 x 50 m grid square. The four types of structures were: (1) one-cubic-metre SHED (Shephard Hill Energy Dissipator) hollow concrete blocks, modified with infills to reduce internal space, (2) Armorflex-220 flexible concrete mattresses (62 m2), (3) Armorflex onto which corals were transplanted (36 m2), and (4) chain-link fencing anchored by pa… | Post-restoration monitoring: 16 months | Authors' conclusion: Within one year of emplacement, the three sets of structures with higher topographic complexity were supporting fish communities of similar species richness and higher density than undisturbed control reefs. However, after one year the fish species composition was significantly different from that in undisturbed reefs. | Lessons reported: Structures with higher topographic complexity are more successful at attracting fish on degraded reefs. | This record was compiled from a published source and has not been confirmed by the organisation that carried out the work. No contribution to the condition index is recorded: the source reports survival of transplanted material, which is not a measure of ecosystem condition.

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