Regio Zuid-Holland | Reefy a nature enhancing costal protection solution

The climate is changing! According to the NOAA, this change will imply an even larger percentage in the destructive potential of storms (1). Stronger hurricanes will cause critical damage and costs to coastal infrastructure and ecosystems, as well as threaten human lives. Traditional and hard engineering solutions .have protected and will protect for many years. Nevertheless, with increasingly changing climate they cannot always solve the problems where adaptive and resilient coastal protections are needed. .Nature based solutions are becoming the preferred approach in projects around the world due to their adaptability and additional values that they provide. A great example of how nature can deliver great value to society is coral reefs, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. They are a significant food source for over a billion people worldwide and promote a value of $9.6 billion USD in tourism and recreation (2). But not only that, they are a perfect natural barrier against waves. Coral reefs can dissipate up to 97% of the wave energy before reaching the shoreline (3). .Unfortunately, we have already lost or severely damaged more than 50% of coral reefs and 85% of oyster beds worldwide (4). Studies estimate nearly all reefs will be at risk by 2050 unless action is taken now to reduce the threats (5). These alarming projections are increasingly becoming a major challenge in many parts of the world, both in terms of coastal protection and ecosystem restoration. .At Reefy, we have designed a technical solution to these problems. It consists on “lego-like” blocks that can be assembled to form an underwater artificial reef structure. This structure has different levels of complexity to host a flourishing reef ecosystem and at the same time, creates a barrier of any size that can dissipate wave energy and protect coastlines from erosion and flooding. .This present project looks to explore the commercial feasibility of the Reefy solution.