Summary:
Ports are essential allies for the development and growth of the blue economy, as they are the physical interface where all industries and sectors related to the oceans, seas and coasts can converge, both those based on the marine environment (maritime transport, fishing, energy generation) and those based on land (ports, shipyards, land-based aquaculture, algae production, coastal tourism). It also includes new sectors such as renewable ocean energy, blue bioeconomy, biotechnology and desalination.
Specifically, one of the challenges posed by the Port of Algeciras refers to the conservation and protection of marine biodiversity, not only as an indispensable condition for the existence of economic activities such as fishing, biotechnology and tourism, but also for the contribution to climate change mitigation and resilience. Therefore, the Port Authority of the Algeciras Bay (hereinafter APBA), aware of the numerous problems facing the marine environment and, fundamentally, those related to the loss of biodiversity, faces the challenge of identifying and implementing innovative solutions to enhance the recovery of the sea, compensate for human activity generating a net zero or positive effect and decontaminate certain areas, thus allowing the preservation of the marine ecosystem and biodiversity while ensuring the compatibility of port activity.
In this sense, when the APBA carries out projects that involve the modification or affectation of port infrastructures, the Spanish Secretary of State for the Environment (SEMA), a superior body of the current Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, requires the identification and assessment of the marine communities directly and indirectly affected, imposing, when deemed appropriate, the compensation or recovery of the most relevant communities, in order to preserve the ecological wealth and biodiversity of the environment.
In view of this scenario, the APBA wishes to promote the replacement of its gray infrastructures with “green” infrastructures that promote and facilitate the development of life and biodiversity in their surroundings, thus minimizing their environmental impact while guaranteeing their functionality. The placement of these biodiversity-enhancing elements not only has positive effects on local marine communities, but also improves water quality, acts as a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) sink and allows the comparison and estimation of the growth and development of benthic communities.
The project will be developed by the innovative start-up Ocean Ecostructures, a Spanish company that combines advanced engineering and sustainability to offer disruptive solutions in the marine environment.
The scope of the pilot project consists of the manufacture and installation of biodiversity enhancers units in the facilities of the Port of Algeciras that mimic natural reefs, offering an ideal substrate that maximizes the anchorage of marine life and creates breeding and refuge spaces for fish and crustaceans; as well as the monitoring and evaluation of the environmental improvement obtained (in terms of biodiversity, biomass and carbon fixation), which can also be effective for monitoring the presence of exotic and invasive species. All this, thanks to robotic monitoring campaigns using underwater drones, data processing with artificial intelligence and digital exploitation of the information (iOceans platform, impact reports and the Ocean Ecostructures app).
Expected results:
- Develop a digital tool for active monitoring of the environmental quality of the waters of the Bay of Algeciras.
- Improve the conservation of marine biodiversity in the waters of the Bay of Algeciras.
- To reduce the impact of port and maritime activity on the marine environment.
- To improve the dissemination and divulgation of the APBA’s actions in favor of environmental improvement, as part of its Green Strategy.
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