An artificial reef is located near the village of Pokrovske on the Kinburn Peninsula in 2021. The material of the reef is the remains of oyster shells, which have previously undergone natural preparation, namely, dried in the sun for 2 months, packed in mesh bags made of environmentally friendly eco-plastic. Now the nets have separated, and the shells have "cemented" thanks to the porous structure, that is, they have grown together.
This is the first such eco-project on the territory of the Black Sea. Usually, in world practice, concrete structures are used for the construction of artificial reefs. Remains of shells are a good alternative, because they are both the reuse of oyster shells and an environmentally friendly material.
The idea of creating a reef from oyster shells is supported by leading scientists who are also involved in monitoring the functioning of the reef, researching and increasing its biodiversity.
As Mykola Hruby, the head of the Kinburn CO, says: the results of the experiment a year later even exceeded expectations. After all, the greatest fear was that the reefs would collapse under the influence of storms. But time has shown that our team did everything correctly and in the right place. "We were helped by scuba divers, and scientists also coordinated the work. The reefs grew together and fit well into the local ecosystem, overgrown with algae and became a habitat for mussels, shrimps, gobies and other Black Sea species."
Today, as a result of military operations on the Kinburn Peninsula, research on reefs in the Black Sea is temporarily suspended.
The second artificial reef in the form of a ball (reefball) was installed in the Tyligul estuary near the village of Ukrainka in 2023. The construction of the reef is recommended by two authoritative international organizations specializing in the restoration of natural aquatic ecosystems: 1. The Native Oyster Restoration Alliance (NORA). The NORA Association works for the protection and natural restoration of the European oyster (Ostrea edulis), which is indigenous to the Black Sea, and its historic habitats. 2. Reef Ball Foundation (Reef Ball Foundation). This organization patented the design of reef balls and received a number of environmental awards for its implementation in various regions of the world.
In 2024, a year after the establishment of reefs in the Tyligul estuary, a study of reef biodiversity was conducted by the Kinbourn CO team and leading scientists in this area.
The Tyligul estuary, like most estuaries of the northern Black Sea region, traditionally experiences significant anthropogenic influence. Recently, as a result of the adopted restrictive measures regarding swimming in the Black Sea, the Tyligul estuary has become a popular tourist location with significant anthropogenic impact on water resources. One of the effective methods of studying the change in biodiversity of the estuary, along with increasing the self-cleaning capacity, is the establishment of safe ecoreefs. At the same time, such reefs become a center for the reproduction of various hydrobionts, which contributes to self-purification due to the maintenance of biodiversity, stimulation of mollusk populations of filter feeders.
