Italy’s underwater marble sculptures are becoming small artificial reef habitats, study finds

Five marble statues stand on the seabed of the Baia del Cannone, off Talamone in Grosseto, Tuscany, in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea. They were placed there on 19 September 2024 as part of an initiative run by the association Casa dei Pesci. According to the study published in the MDPI journal titled ‘Early Biodiversity Responses to Underwater Marble Sculptures Deployed as Artificial Reefs: First Scientific Assessment of a Conservation Initiative in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea’, underwater installations were conceived primarily to enhance habitat heterogeneity, support conservation outreach and promote community engagement. What the authors call the "first systematic scientific assessment" of an art-based marine conservation initiative. Researchers from the University of Siena and partner organisations monitored the site for one year.How are Italy’s underwater marble sculptures becoming artificial reefsAccording to the authors, Mediterranean coastal ecosystems are affected by habitat degradation and loss of structural complexity. The pressures they list include climate change, coastal development, pollution, overexploitation and destructive fishing practices. In the Talamone area, ad...