Energy company Orsted and green group WWF have launched a project to restore biogenic reefs in the North Sea in a bid to develop a globally replicable methodology while at the same time contributing to the company’s net positive biodiversity impact ambitions.
The project will seek to establish one or more biogenic reefs made of European flat oysters and horse mussels in Danish waters, Orsted said in a press release.
“This is an exciting project – it will provide ecosystem services to the marine environment, increase biodiversity, and improve water quality in the North Sea,” said Ingrid Reumert, Orsted’s senior vice president and head of global stakeholder relations.
“Together with WWF, we want to set a new standard for biodiversity enhancement in offshore wind development and further marine nature protection and restoration, as well as encourage others to join us in creating a net-positive impact on ocean biodiversity.”
Biogenic reefs, substantially less famous than their coral cousins but play a similar role, have seen a dramatic decrease in numbers over the past few decades, suffering from disease, overfishing, climate change, and water quality issues.
Orsted, WWF, and the Institute of Aquatic Resources at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Aqua) want to reverse that trend by using DTU Aqua’s large-scale hatchery and experimental nursery to produce and deploy oysters and mussels for the bioreef project.
The reef or reefs will be deployed in the Danish North Sea in 2027, and drive peer-reviewed scientific papers, protocols, and methods that can be applied in restoration projects around the world, Orsted said.
At the same time, the project will contribute to Orsted’s target that all its renewable energy projects – including offshore wind – it commissions from 2030 onwards should deliver a net positive impact for biodiversity.
“It’s essential that we solve both the climate and the biodiversity crisis. Therefore, we must speed up the development of new and innovative solutions for coexistence of renewable energy and marine nature within the wind farms as well as restore and protect marine nature in the oceans away from the wind farms,” said Bo Oeksnebjerg, WWF Denmark’s secretary general.
“Our partnership with Orsted does exactly that. Our intention is to take these solutions to a global scale. Therefore, we’ll share our experiences and knowledge from our joint nature restoration project in the North Sea with the rest of the world.”
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