Tide pool coastal armour installed at water’s edge in front of Fontvieille Port sea wall

©Direction de l’Environnement / L. Aquilina

As part of its ecological restoration programmes, the Department of the Environment installed coastal armouring in the form of five tide pools along the edge of the water in front of the Fontvieille Port sea wall in 2019. The pools were produced by ECOncrete, a company which specialises in “bio-improving” concrete structures, meaning that the surface is treated to make it rugged and grooved. This helps species attach to it, increasing the ecological value and colonisation of the structures.

Over the last three years, scientific monitoring has been conducted to ensure that the pools are having an ecological impact. The initial results are extremely encouraging, to the extent that the species which have colonised the pools are easily visible to the naked eye.

During biological monitoring for 2022, which took place on Wednesday, the Department of the Environment installed an information board on the Jean Charles Rey dyke to show where the coastal armour has been installed and why it is of interest.

This ecological restoration programme is part of the Clean Ports initiative, relating specifically to the Clean Ports Active in Biodiversity certification.