FRONT LINE
Understanding the miracle of
OYSTERS RESTORING WITH NATURE: WHAT ARE WE LEARNING FROM OYSTERS? BY PROF. ANAMARIJA FRANKIĆ
20
N
ature has been teaching us about design miracles and solutions for years – how to live resilient, healthy, loving lives creating conditions conducive to clean water, air, soil, food and biodiversity. Amazing! There is nothing more relaxing to me than to dive into water, fresh or salty, and reconnect with nature’s energy, absorbing it, recharging and sharing her wisdom. Unfortunately, we are continuously alarmed by the loss of biological diversity and one very common species captured my interest for many decades. Today, I am still learning from this marine bivalve – the oyster. Did you know that oyster reefs are the most endangered coastal habitat globally? Imagine the amazing bivalve shells piling up to seven metre high reefs and spreading thousands of hectares in area, building three dimensional structured habitats in every sea and along every coast of every continent. Presently, as there are practically no existing oyster reefs it is hard to image the vast oyster populations globally and their benefits to our coastal ecosystems.
Irish Wildlife Spring ‘21
020_IWT Spring_2021_Frontline_V1 REV.indd 20
19/02/2021 14:51
