About ecological engineering
Ecological (eco-) engineering incorporates ecological principles into the design of infrastructure to mitigate or even reverse ecological impacts. Eco-engineering uses innovative ideas and technologies to construct or modify artificial structures to facilitate development of desired marine communities. This concept aims to deliver a multifunctional approach by providing both the intended engineering purpose, and additional ecosystem services, such as supporting native biodiversity and limiting settlement by marine pests.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has funded a three-year research program lead by Macquarie University to assess the effectiveness of ecological engineering principles in preventing or reducing colonisation of marine pests on marine infrastructure.
Phase one (2020)
The phase one project used a systematic literature review to identify knowledge gaps and potential applications of eco-engineering design factors to reduce the abundance of marine pest on artificial structures. The gaps identified in the review led to an experiment that was conducted in three ports in Australia. The experiment focused on examining the effect that differences on surface brightness and microtexture had on the recruitment of native and marine pest species to artificial structures.
Phase two (2021)
The phase two project aimed to fill selected knowledge gaps identified in phase one, specifically on the effects of material composition and light availability on the recruitment of native and marine pest species to artificial structures.
This project was funded by the Biosecurity Innovation Program.