That’s only part of a long list of the threats against coral, but why are the reefs so important, you may wonder? There are a lot of reasons why protecting coral reefs is urgent. Most people understand that it would be a bad thing if the reefs all died, but not everyone realizes what a direct impact the loss of coral reefs would have on humans. For one thing, coral reefs protect coastlines from damaging waves and tropical storms. Without coral, there’s no buffer against erosion, floods, property damage and even loss of life. The fishing industry depends heavily on the presence of coral reefs, too, as many fish spawn there and juvenile fish spend time there before heading out to sea.
Far more than just humans would be affected by the loss of the reefs, however – they house some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, and many species rely on the reefs for their survival. If you’ve studied biology even a little bit, you’ll likely recall the ripple effect the loss of even one species has on an ecosystem, and the loss of the coral reefs would result in a staggering loss of life below the waves – and above them, too, as other creatures such as birds were deprived of major food sources.
That leads to the question: what’s to be done? Changing human behavior is crucial – taking steps to halt climate change, using less damaging fishing and agricultural practices, etc. But those things take time, and the coral reefs still need to be given a chance to recover, to catch up. Thankfully, we humans have the technology for that. In the waters off the coast of France’s Calanques National Park, a large chunk of 3D printed concrete has just been immersed. It’s not just any chunk of concrete; it’s been specially designed to mimic the structure of a coral reef, with the hope that it will attract fish and other marine life – and, most importantly, free-floating baby coral polyps. If these polyps embed themselves in the concrete and begin to grow, you have the beginnings of a new coral reef.
This particular concrete reef was designed by French marine conservation organization Seaboost and large-scale 3D printing company XtreeE. While neither organization has commented on the material the reef is made of, XtreeE describes it as a “biomimetic, porous” material, similar to coral itself.
The first 3D printed reef was sunk in the Persian Gulf in 2012. Since then, there have been several others, in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Australia and elsewhere. Now it’s a game of wait and see what happens. The reefs are being monitored over the course of several years, and if they successfully attract life forms that build them into living reefs, we could see this kind of project being implemented on a large scale.
So much of the damage done to the environment has been caused by humans and our technology – but it could also be our technology that saves the environment, if we use it right. 3D printing new coral reefs is a great step in the right direction.
Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
You May Also Like
US Air Force Awards Stratasys and Novineer SBIR for Non-Planar 3D Printing
As the additive manufacturing (AM) sector heads to Tampa, Florida for the Military AM (MILAM) Summit, companies are unveiling their latest efforts in the defense sector. Among them is industry...
AM Craft 3D Prints Over 1,000 Arm Caps for LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 Fleet
LOT Polish Airlines has adopted 3D-printed arm caps for the economy class seats in its Boeing 737 fleet, marking another milestone in the use of additive manufacturing (AM) for aircraft...
Stratasys Secures $120M Investment from Fortissimo Capital Amid Pressure from Bambu Lab
Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS) has announced a $120 million investment from Fortissimo Capital, an Israeli private equity firm. The deal involves the direct purchase of 11.65 million newly issued shares...
3D Printing Webinar and Event Roundup: February 2, 2025
We’re starting this week’s webinar with the exciting news that it is finally time for our Additive Manufacturing Strategies summit in New York City! There are a few other events...