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Wildlife does make use of manmade structures, but seawalls used as coastal defences have smooth inhospitable surfaces that are difficult to colonise. An ecoengineering concept that is gaining space is deliberately shaping sea walls so that they are inviting and easy for wildlife to inhabit. Textured panels that fit together like honeycomb tiling can be fixed on seawalls to provide cracks, niches and tiny rock pools of assorted sizes, shapes and textures. By increasing the structural complexity from smooth and homogenous to highly varied a greater range of species can move in.
It’s a relatively new practice using 3D printing technology that was first trialled under Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2018. In August 2023 some living seawall panels were installed in Plymouth. Living seawall panels have been installed at sites around New South Wales, Australia, Singapore, Portugal and Wales. It is an initiative that demonstrates the power of enhancing habitats, not just focusing on a single species but aiming for an assemblage.