Onderzoeksproject EF/211/RBINS-EMBRC (Onderzoeksactie EF)
The current proposal aims at developing the Artificial Hard Substrate Garden (AHSG), a modular and flexible in-situ test facility serving field-based experimental research on the effects of artificial hard substrates and supporting nature inclusive design of marine constructions. This service will be housed by the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC), a distributed Research Infrastructure supporting marine science and Blue Growth. RBINS is the only EMBRC operator focusing on the ecology of artificial hard substrates and therefore the AHSG will fill an important gap in the EMBRC service portfolio. The service offer will serve important research and the development of the Blue Economy and is very timely as (1) Blue Growth initiatives (including the installation of renewable energy devices) will result in very large amounts of artificial hard substrate in environments where such habitat was absent (the sandy offshore environment); (2) competition for space results in occupying deeper or more dynamic marine areas and (3) there is an emerging desire to combine offshore construction with reinforcing the marine environment through science-based nature inclusive design.
We will integrate and optimise existing project-based components in a centrally managed AHSG, develop procedures for cost-efficient maintenance, Standard Operational Protocols and Method Statements and firmly anchor the RBINS service offer in EMBRC in terms of administration, organization, and operations. Finally, a sustainability plan will pave the road towards a continued service offer beyond the lifetime of the project.
