Fish assemblages of different types of artificial reefs can differ greatly in abundance, biomass and composition, with some reef types harboring over five times more herbivores than others. It is assumed that higher herbivorous fish abundance results in a higher grazing intensity, affecting the benthic …

The massive die-off of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum in 1983–1984 is one the main reasons for low coral recruitment and little coral recovery in the Caribbean. As the natural recovery of D. antillarum is slow to non-existent, multiple restoration studies have been attempted. There are currently three …

Caribbean coral reefs are in decline and the deployment of artificial reefs, structures on the sea bottom that mimic one or more characteristics of a natural reef, is increasingly often considered to sustain ecosystem services. Independent of their specific purposes, it is essential that artificial reefs …

The coral reef ecosystem provides important services such as tourism revenue, food, pharmaceutical products and coastal defence. Coral reefs are under a severe amount of threats such as pollution, overfishing and climate change. These threats result in a decrease of coral reefs and so a decrease in three- …

For multiple reasons, such as changing ocean temperatures, overfishing and unsustainable tourism coral reefs are declining worldwide. A negative feedback loop is created by the loss of three-dimensional structures that the coral reefs create. These three-dimensional structures provide shelters for grazing …

Coral reefs have been in decline over the past decades. This has greatly increased the need for restorative measures. The islands of Saba and St. Eustatius, two special Dutch municipalities in the Dutch Caribbean, are not exempt to this decline. The Saba Conservation Foundation and St. Eustatius National …

Coral reefs are one of the most important ecosystems in the world, in terms of both biological diversity and economy. These ecosystems are under a great amount of threats (e.g. climate change, pollution, coastal development and overfishing), which can lead to reef degradation and decrease of three-dimensional …

The use of artificial reefs for purposes of ecosystem restoration and enhancement is gaining popularity due to recent declines of marine ecosystems. In particular the global decline of natural coral reefs and fish populations demands suitable approaches for improvement. However, is the availability of …