Artificial Habitats are intended to provide a habitat for organisms, where their natural habitat may be missing or reduced by engineering, for instance in the marine environment for port, harbor, seawall or other marine structures, where the addition of artificial habitat may increase/restore biodiversity.
Marine Artificial Habitats
Existing rocky shore artificial habitats are designed to be fitted onto or into such man-made structures, and generally come in two main forms, artificial habitat attachments, and drilled/cored artificial habitat holes/pools.
Ocean Life Survey has experience of installing the main varieties of the rocky shore attachment types, and of working with three of the leading manufacturers, to deliver successful instillations in Wales. These main designs include pool retention and texture type attachments, from which we have designed and installed arrays for research studies, and for improved connected habitat connectivity. Martin Stanley (from OLS) has previously lead and delivered artificial habitat projects in Wales (UK), including installing 120 artificial habitats at 4 Ports of Milford Haven sites, and assessing and testing the suitability for attempted instillation of marine artificial habitats at two further sites at Tenby and Saundersfoot Harbors.
Ocean Life Survey has also designed and installed drilled/cored habitat holes, including 42 horizontal habitat holes in a vertical sea wall at a further site in the Wales, and at another site we have designed and installed 90 scar holes for grazing organisms on an angled slipway structure, in order to provide habitat for marine grazers, and provide a potential natural/biological cleaning function for slipways, which could reduce the need for future chemical slipway treatments to remove slippery marine growth from the working slipway surfaces.
We also have experience of designing and commissioning larger artificial rock pools, including on Rock Armor sea defenses, with Martin Stanley from OLS, commissioning, designing, and managing the instillation of 30 such habitats in Pembrokeshire Wales on behalf of a UK Government Agency.
Ocean Life Survey has also developed a new system/technique for the creation of attachment habitats for walls, sea defences, and slipways etc..., without the need for drilled attachment or drilled coring. This lower cost option, provides greater flexibility in design and surface attachment. It does not require flat surfaces, and can be applied to a wider range of materials metal, wood, stone, concrete, fibreglass, PVC etc.. Being less structurally intrusive, not requiring any penetration of existing structures, and being low in weight, it is an easier and more simple artificial habitat attachment system/technique, which allows installation in more areas and on more structures.
As well as attachment and cored type artificial habitats, Ocean Life Survey can also provide hard artificial habitats or natural substrate types for seabed/lake/river bed submerged environments, and custom moored floating artificial habitat systems for coastal, estuarine, lake and river environments.
Ocean Life Survey can provide bespoke artificial habitat and array designs for our clients, offering further attachment type, drilled/cored type, and hard sea/lake/river bed submerged, as well as moored floating artificial habitats. These can also be designed to provide multiple functionality, combining marine/freshwater artificial habitat provision, public art work, marine/freshwater education, protection, and conservation.
Site and habitat assessment & selection
Prior to any installation, site assessment and selection, together with suitable AH type matching, is paramount and an essential first step to deliver successful instillations.
As well as artificial habitat design and instillation, Ocean Life Survey also offers site assessment for artificial habitats, together with an assessment of the most suitable artificial habitat type, for both site and client requirements.
Ocean Life Survey has already undertaken such work for UK government agencies, and Port and Harbor authorities. We can therefore offer and provide our clients with this proven expertise, together with any pre and post biological and ecological monitoring and reporting as desired or required.
Marine Artificial Habitats
Existing rocky shore artificial habitats are designed to be fitted onto or into such man-made structures, and generally come in two main forms, artificial habitat attachments, and drilled/cored artificial habitat holes/pools.
Ocean Life Survey has experience of installing the main varieties of the rocky shore attachment types, and of working with three of the leading manufacturers, to deliver successful instillations in Wales. These main designs include pool retention and texture type attachments, from which we have designed and installed arrays for research studies, and for improved connected habitat connectivity. Martin Stanley (from OLS) has previously lead and delivered artificial habitat projects in Wales (UK), including installing 120 artificial habitats at 4 Ports of Milford Haven sites, and assessing and testing the suitability for attempted instillation of marine artificial habitats at two further sites at Tenby and Saundersfoot Harbors.
Ocean Life Survey has also designed and installed drilled/cored habitat holes, including 42 horizontal habitat holes in a vertical sea wall at a further site in the Wales, and at another site we have designed and installed 90 scar holes for grazing organisms on an angled slipway structure, in order to provide habitat for marine grazers, and provide a potential natural/biological cleaning function for slipways, which could reduce the need for future chemical slipway treatments to remove slippery marine growth from the working slipway surfaces.
We also have experience of designing and commissioning larger artificial rock pools, including on Rock Armor sea defenses, with Martin Stanley from OLS, commissioning, designing, and managing the instillation of 30 such habitats in Pembrokeshire Wales on behalf of a UK Government Agency.
Ocean Life Survey has also developed a new system/technique for the creation of attachment habitats for walls, sea defences, and slipways etc..., without the need for drilled attachment or drilled coring. This lower cost option, provides greater flexibility in design and surface attachment. It does not require flat surfaces, and can be applied to a wider range of materials metal, wood, stone, concrete, fibreglass, PVC etc.. Being less structurally intrusive, not requiring any penetration of existing structures, and being low in weight, it is an easier and more simple artificial habitat attachment system/technique, which allows installation in more areas and on more structures.
As well as attachment and cored type artificial habitats, Ocean Life Survey can also provide hard artificial habitats or natural substrate types for seabed/lake/river bed submerged environments, and custom moored floating artificial habitat systems for coastal, estuarine, lake and river environments.
Ocean Life Survey can provide bespoke artificial habitat and array designs for our clients, offering further attachment type, drilled/cored type, and hard sea/lake/river bed submerged, as well as moored floating artificial habitats. These can also be designed to provide multiple functionality, combining marine/freshwater artificial habitat provision, public art work, marine/freshwater education, protection, and conservation.
Site and habitat assessment & selection
Prior to any installation, site assessment and selection, together with suitable AH type matching, is paramount and an essential first step to deliver successful instillations.
As well as artificial habitat design and instillation, Ocean Life Survey also offers site assessment for artificial habitats, together with an assessment of the most suitable artificial habitat type, for both site and client requirements.
Ocean Life Survey has already undertaken such work for UK government agencies, and Port and Harbor authorities. We can therefore offer and provide our clients with this proven expertise, together with any pre and post biological and ecological monitoring and reporting as desired or required.
