10/03/2026
🐠 Do artificial reefs really work?
A recent study published in Marine Biology followed fish communities on our restoration site over a five-year period (2020–2024). This work was a collaboration between ourselves, , and our research partners at .
The results show that the hard work of our local communities and international volunteers is paying off 💙
Here’s what we found:
🌊 Artificial reefs quickly attract marine life
Just 1–3 years after deployment, our artificial reefs were already supporting fish communities similar to nearby natural coral reefs.
🐟 Hundreds of species recorded
Over five years we recorded 209 fish species on artificial reefs, compared with 249 species on natural reefs. Nearby degraded sandy areas had very little marine life.
📈 Artificial reefs dramatically increase biodiversity
Artificial reefs supported almost 10× more fish species than degraded habitats.
🦈 Different habitats support different fish
Artificial reefs supported more predatory fish, while natural reefs supported more herbivores and plankton-feeding fish.
⏳ Long-term monitoring matters
Because we monitored these reefs for five years, we could see changes that shorter studies might miss.
Research Permit Number: Nomor : 98/SIP.EXT/IV/FR/10/2025
SaveOurReefs