Coastal ecologists, engineers and developers must find ways to balance the effects of coastal development, Professor Francesca Porri says – and one of the ways this can be achieved is through ecological engineering practices, harnessing indigenous knowledge. Photo: Supplied
Concrete urban structures at harbours, ports and marinas, such as seawalls, jetties and slipways, differ structurally from natural coastal environments, which can impact biodiversity, preventing fish and other animals from thriving, says Professor Francesca Porri, senior scientist at the National Research Foundation-South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity in Makhanda, Eastern Cape.
Coastal ecologists, engineers and developers must find ways to balance the effects of coastal development, she says – and one of the ways this can be achieved is through ecological engineering practices, harnessing indigenous knowledge.
Porri heads a transdisciplinary project called Indigenous Marine Innovations for Sustainable Environments and Economies and presented the pioneering plan at Nelson Mandela University’s Research Week in Gqeberha this month.
Nature-based solutions
Ecological engineering merges ecological principles with engineering practices, looking for solutions to mitigate the negative effects of urbanisation and general anthropogenic impacts – the effect of humans on nature.
These solutions can rehabilitate and enhance the natural biological diversity and functions of coastal habitats, including rocky shores.
There is growing interest in implementing innovative eco-engineering solutions in coastal systems to achieve sustainability goals – but the skills required for this are largely lacking in South Africa, says Porri.
“The project aims to improve diversity and functioning of biodiversity in urban coastal areas, using innovative nature-based solutions that will be co-developed and tested using indigenous African knowledge.
“It will involve the use of natural plant material and traditional artisanal practices to create complex structures which may allow cities to counteract coastal armouring. This approach could ultimately improve the quality of coastal urban habitats in terms of their early life-stage diversity, functioning and biological diversity.”
Women at the forefront
The Indigenous Marine Innovations for Sustainable Environments and Economies project also showcases the crucial social function of empowering members of the poorest economic sectors of the country – and particularly women.
The researchers are partnering with the rural coastal community of Hamburg, in Eastern Cape, the second-poorest town in the province. Scientists and ecomusicology specialists will work with members of the Keiskamma Trust to co-create nature-based structures, as well as traditional cultural expressions, with agreements in place recognising the intellectual property rights of the knowledge-bearers and protecting their work.
The structures, named IMIZEE, will be retrofitted on selected hard, natural (rocky shores) and urban substrates and tested for potential contribution to a variety of ecological functions, including nursery augmentation and biodiversity enhancement, the trophic ecology and physiology of early life stages of fish and invertebrates.
This step is the baseline that aims to help preserve the indigenous knowledge, the practice, and the links to scientific knowledge, merging all approaches for the production of innovative co-science for generations to come, says Porri.
The project is being funded by the National Research Foundation for a three-year period, until 2024, with the potential for an extension based on the outcome of this experimental phase.Overall, says Porri, it is a good example of “engaged research” – a science project working with and for society, advancing the values of co-creation to address relevant societal and environmental problems.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Mail & Guardian.