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Saving the World with 3D Printing Posted by : replicatorworld On : January 3, 2013
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Ca te g o ry : Archive
The Persian Gulf is under threat. The coral reef ecosystem in waters off Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain has been badly damaged and destroyed by coastal and offshore development – which, according to Forbes, “involves large-scale dredging, infilling, coastal modifications, and the creation of artificial waterways.” Indeed, “the World Resources Institute estimates that coral cover in Bahrain has dropped from at least 50 percent in the 1980s to nearly zero percent today.” Into this crisis stepped Reef Arabia. The company designs and manufactures artificial reefs, or as they like to call them, constructed reefs. Their goal is to “regenerate precious ocean habitat and improve fish populations.” “The Reef Arabia team – made up of experts from the local area and members of Australia-based Sustainable Oceans International (SOI) – has already submerged nearly 3,000 concrete Reef Balls and custom designed reef units near Bahrain.” However, Reef Arabia has begun working on a new strategy. As David Lennon, Reef Arabia team member and director at SOI explains, these concrete constructed reefs have their drawbacks, which is why he prefers a