Marbella marina's artificial microreefs record sharp rise in marine life, town hall says
Marbella town hall says microreefs at Puerto Deportivo Virgen del Carmen hold 27 species against 11 in conventional port areas, after less than six months.
By Costa del Sol Journal Newsroom · · AI-assisted
Ecological microreefs installed at Marbella's Puerto Deportivo Virgen del Carmen have roughly doubled the marine species found in the marina in under six months, according to the Ayuntamiento de Marbella (town hall).
The council says the structures hold 27 species, compared with 11 identified in conventional port areas. Its press release describes the figures as first results of an environmental monitoring programme.
What the project involves
The scheme consists of six structures called Life-Boosting Units (LBU), placed in two areas of the port, the town hall said. Diego López, the councillor for Environment, Beaches and Ports, said the results show port infrastructure can be made more sustainable and compatible with improving the marine environment.
Diversity and juvenile fish
López said monitoring shows a 60 per cent increase in ecological diversity and a notable presence of juvenile fish, which account for 89 per cent of the recorded biomass.
He pointed to the Shannon index, which measures both the number of species and how evenly they are distributed. According to the town hall, the microreefs reached an average value of 1.70, against 1.06 in control zones, which it described as a 60 per cent improvement.
The port's director, Carlos Romero, said the fish observed measured between 6 and 16 centimetres and that the dominance of juveniles suggests the structures are being used as shelter and a place to grow. He said this was probably one of the study's most interesting findings, because the structures are not only being colonised by organisms but are starting to serve as protection for young fish.
Romero added that the structures also host algae, annelids (segmented worms), ascidians (sea squirts), bryozoans, crustaceans, echinoderms, hydrozoans and molluscs. Cuttlefish eggs have also been found, which he described as a sign of the gradual colonisation of the new habitats.
Why it matters
For boat owners, berth holders and others who use the coast's marinas, the project is an example of a local authority trying to add habitat inside a working port. The figures come from the town hall's own announcement, and the source does not say who carried out the monitoring or whether the results have been independently reviewed.
