Artificial Reefs (ARs) are human-made structures that
mimic natural reefs creating new habitats and shelters for marine life. It is widely accepted that snorkellers
and divers prefer biological attributes of the marine environment and they
show higher preference for fish abundance and fish size over corals.
The establishment of Marine Diving Parks with ARs favours biological productivity thus enhancing local populations of
fish and invertebrates especially in biologically depleted areas of the seabed.
As the trend of creating Recreational Diving Parks increases globally,
the appeal of ARs is critical for their ability to attract marine ecotourism but
also to divert visitor pressure from natural reefs.ARIA's innovative ARs technologies offer a unique solution in designing and constructing "Underwater Recreational Diving Oases", providing a wide range of environmental services and offering durable socio-economic benefits to the tourism industry.
