Photo By: Amy Olson

An artificial reef is a man made structure built with the specific aim of to promote the marine life of an area. Some artificial reefs are created accidentally such as ship wrecks and others have been created intentionally such as the reef built by MRCI.

Due to natural and man made issues the coral reef located right off of our home beach has suffered from coral bleaching as well as large sections dying off. Human actions such as overfishing and natural issues such as the yearly cyclones that affect Nosy Komba have played a role in the decline of our reef.

In November of 2016 MRCI was able to get our home reef approved as a Marine Protected Area (MPA). The World Wildlife Fund describes a marine protected area as, “An area designated and effectively managed to protect marine ecosystems, processes, habitats, and species, which can contribute to the restoration and replenishment of resources for social, economic, and cultural enrichment”. The MRCI Marine Protected Area is a strict no fishing zone. By banning fishing on our reef we are allowing the ecosystem to recover from the years of over fishing which had occurred.

MRCI Marine staff and Volunteers have worked hard to create multiple artificial reefs of our own. During one addition to our reef Staff and Volunteers built 30 boulder-like structures which were arranged in lines parallel to the existing natural reef inside our MPA. The collection of domes was named the orchard and had 280 baby corals transplanted onto the 30 domes! MRCI had access to the baby corals thanks to friends of our partner organization CNRO and Nosy Be aquaculture.

Our current reefs have provided a substrate for a huge array of benthic and sessile organisms to grow. To name a few, sponges, soft corals, ascidians, algae, oysters and crabs. The reefs also have a range of juvenile fish, cuttlefish and squid.

Photo By: Amy Olson

Artificial reefs can be highly beneficial to the marine life in an area because it provides a hard surfaces where algae and invertebrates such as barnacles, corals, and oysters  can attach. The accumulation of attached marine life then provides an intricate structure and a food source for assemblages of fish.

There can be downfalls if an artificial reef is not correctly implemented. For example, the materials used in the construction of artificial reefs are not always environmentally friendly. In some areas tires and PVC pipe are a common material in reef construction. Over time these materials will break down and release toxins as well as smaller debris into the ocean.

Artificial reefs also have been known to draw new life from already existing natural reefs. When this occurs the near by natural reefs suffer due to the large number of species that have left. The artificial reefs that are successful tend to have large concentrations of fish living on them. When fish are found in large concentrations it makes them easier to fish.

MRCI has taken these issues into account when building our own reefs. Our reefs are built out of concrete which can be formed to create structures. Concrete is a porous material which encourages the growth of algae and coral over time. It also does not release toxic chemicals into the ocean when it breaks down. Our artificial reef is also constructed within our Marine Protected Area to ensure that the fish living on our reef will not be easy targets for fishermen. Having a protected area where fishing is banned has allowed for our artificial reefs to naturally progress and slowly integrate into the marine ecosystem that already exists in the area.

Getting to work on our artificial reef projects have been a highlight for many of our Marine Volunteers! Volunteers get to help in the construction, coral transplants, reef placement, baby coral cleans, as well as the on going reef surveys! Being a part of such an important ongoing projects lets volunteers see some of the immediate impacts that their work is doing.

If you’re interested in our artificial reef projects check out our

Marine Conservation Program as well as on social media!

Photo By: Amy Olson

By Alex Flucke, MRCI SCUBA Instructor

“Another Beach Clean…?”

A typical day on the Marine Conservation Program here at MRCI consists of scuba diving, snorkeling, entering data we collected while scuba diving and snorkeling, and getting set up to go diving and snorkeling. One would not typically think that a marine activity could be done on land, walking with our feet, not typically wearing a swimsuit but alas, the beach clean-ups. A verb, in which one walks along a beach with, in our case old rice sacks, and picks up any piece of man made trash they can get their hands on. This activity, in my humble opinion is one of the most important, if not the most important thing we do weekly on marine.

A typical phrase I hear at board reading, when volunteers hear that we will be doing a beach clean tomorrow is, “Another one?” or “But we did one yesterday!” I then jump on to my soap box, metaphorically, and shout “Yes we are!” You may be asking yourself why is this scuba instructor so passionate about beach clean-ups? I am passionate about them because they are both important, and needed here on Nosy Komba.

Participating in local beach clean-ups is one of the most visible forms of conservation and can take only an hour or two. A beach is covered in trash when you arrive, you leave probably a little dirty and smelly yourself, but it is obvious that you made an immediate difference. There is less trash that can choke our waterways as well as the creatures that call that body of water their home. Studies also show that people who participate in just one of the beach clean-ups have increased well-being (this was proven scientifically but I won’t get into the nitty-gritty numbers of it all), feel more confident in the ecosystem they cleaned, increased marine awareness and pro-environmental intentions, and most importantly are way more likely to participate in other beach clean-ups.

So, in conclusion, sure beach clean-ups help your local flora and fauna significantly, but you get a huge boost of well being for every piece of litter you squat down to grab. You may not come to Madagascar to volunteer with MRCI to participate in beach clean-ups, but you may leave with a cool beach backpack or clothing item you found on one (please wash before you wear or use)!

Also, if you are interested in looking into the article I spoke about it is called, “Can Beach Cleans Do More Than Clean-Up Litter? Comparing Beach Clean-Ups to Other Coastal Activities.” By Kayleigh J. Wyles, Sabine PAhl, Matthew Holland, and Richard C. Thompson (2017) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0013916516649412.

Make a difference and plan your own beach clean-ups

or Join our Marine Conservation Program today!