SYNTOPOLIS

A REEF PROTOTYPE

FOR STARESO

In the debate about the restoration of threatened marine habitats, local habitats in the Mediterranean region are often overlooked in favour of the conservation of coral reefs. Many people only know the seagrass Posidonia Oceanica as an ugly patch of brown algae that pollutes our pristine white beaches. It is all too often forgotten that Posidonia oceanica is a keystone species that determines the symbiotic interaction of a wide range of marine life¹ and is one of the most important carbon sinks in the Mediterranean.²

As part of the dissertation project «SymbiOcean» by doctoral candidate and young scientist Rasa Weber, the prototype «Syntopolis» deals with the restoration of Posidonia Oceanica seagrass meadows, as well as the symbiotic relationships of this key species in ecological interaction with other marine life in Alga Bay (Corsica, FR). The mechanical impact on Posidonia oceanica caused by human activity and the associated environmentally harmful anchoring techniques have led to a significant decline in seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean³ and can also be observed in Alga Bay.⁴ Since 2022, the team at the marine research station STARESO - Station de Recherche Océanographiques et sous-marines on the north coast of Corsica, and PhD student Arnaud Boulenger from Sylvie Gobert's research group (University of Liège) have been working on alternative restoration techniques for P. oceanica based on biodegradable fibres. ⁵

The first test results of this study are used by the project «SymbiOcean» of the designer Rasa Weber as a basis for the development of a design work in the sea. In collaboration with local craft businesses (weaving studio Atelier Marie Drouet) and technical collaboration with marine biology (STARESO), the installation «Syntopolis»  was created based on natural fibres (wickerwork, hemp rope, coconut rope and recycled ship's rope). The aim is to achieve artistic and scientific collaboration on alternative restoration techniques in the Mediterranean to create new habitats for the endangered key species and their communities. In this process, Posidonia is not actively transplanted, but settles naturally together with fish (Chromis chromis, Serranus scriba et al.), sea snails and mussels, as well as other pioneer species («wild settlement»). The installation functions as an «open invitation»⁶ for a wide variety of creatures, including humans. Furthermore, the project methodically develops new starting points for interdisciplinary collaboration between research and «undisciplined»⁷ and local knowledge cultures. Coastal dwellers and their cultural techniques are the starting point for the development of a restorative cultural technique in the sense of the «biocultural identity» ⁸ of the coastal region in northern Corsica. The bioregion ⁹ is thus revitalised locally in order to involve diverse forms of knowledge and a wide range of living beings in the search for new cultural techniques for the preservation of the seas. 

^{1               C.F. Boudouresque, N. Mayot, G. Pergent (2006) »The outstanding traits of the functioning of the Posidonia oceanica seagrass ecosystem«. In:} 

  ^{Biol. Mar. Medit., 13 (4): 109-113.}

^{2               Esteban Morelle-Hungría & Pablo Serra-Palao (2024). »Human impacts on Posidonia oceanica, a key species in the Mediterranean Sea«. In:} 

^{Geoffrey Garver (ed.), Ecological Law in Practice, Routledge: 69-91.}

^{3               A. P. Ganteaume, E. Bonhomme, E. Emery, G. Hervé, C.-F. Boudouresque (2005b) »Impact sur la prairie à Posidonia oceanicade l’amarrage des}

  ^{bateaux de croisière, au large du port de Porquerolles (Provence, France, Méditerranée) «. In : Sci. Rep. Port-Cros Natl. Park 21: 163–173.}

^{And: Arnaud Abadie et al. (2016). »From mechanical to chemical impact of anchoring in seagrasses: The premises of anthropogenic patch}

^{generation in Posidonia oceanica meadows«, In: Mar. Pollut. Bull.; 109(1): 61-71.}

^{4               Arnaud Abadie et al. (2016). Ibid.} 

^{5               Arnaud Boulenger et al. (2024), »Nature-based solutions for coastal protection in sheltered and exposed coastal waters: integrated monitoring}

^{program for baseline ecological structure and functioning assessment«, In: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 196 (316).}

^{6               A. Ståhl & K. Lindström (2020). »Politics of Inviting: Co-Articulations of Issues in Designerly Public«. In: R.C. Smith, T. K. Vangkilde et al. (2016.)} 

^{Design Anthropological Futures, Routledge: 183–198.}

^{7               Frédéric Darbellay (2015). »Rethinking inter- and transdisciplinarity: Undisciplined knowledge and the emergence of a new thought style«. In:} 

^{Futures 65: 163-174.}

^{8               Iain J. Davidson-Hunt, Katherine L. Turner et al. (2012). »Biocultural Design: A New Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Development in Rural}

^{Indigenous and Local Communities«. In: Sapiens 5 (2).}

^{9               BC architects & studies (2024). »A Manual for Bioregional Design«. In: The Future Observatory Journal, Bioregioning 1.}  

CREDITS: Diver laura Julio Racero during transplantation of Acropora cervicornis onto prototype of «Symbiotic Coral Nurseries» from Bejuco. Pilot projekt: Symbiotic Coral Nurseries.
Photo: Rasa Weber. Diver: Laura Julio Racero. Location: Tierra Bomba (COL), 2023. Rasa Weber rasaweber.com & Polynesian Institute of Biomimicry biomimetisme-polynesie.org © 2024. All rights reserved.