Kerala Tourism - Promoting sustainable growth and development

Kerala Tourism and the Harbor and Engineering department have been extremely pleased by the changes to Lighthouse beach following the installation of Kovalam Multi-Purpose Reef. Here is what they had to say and a movie depicting the changes that have occurred. ASR is please to be promoting not only sustainable coastal protection but also responsible tourism in Southern India...

"The Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala in association with the Department of Harbour Engineering, implemented India's first offshore multi-purpose reef at Kovalam to protect the Lighthouse beach. The multi-purpose project, while improving the ecology would also enhance tourism growth through the introduction of surfing.

Kovalam Multi-Purpose Reef is showing encouraging results and leading a new trend of valuable coastal protection methods. The multi-purpose reef was designed to protect the beach from erosion, and it was made from materials that would improve marine habitat and fishing for the locals.

On Feb 27, 2010 India's first Multi-Purpose Reef at the Lighthouse Beach in Kovalam was completed. The reef now protects the eroding stretch of the Lighthouse beach from further devastation during the monsoon rainy season by reducing the wave energy. Fish life blossoms as the reef provides a firm substrate on the seabed for colonization by marine species.

Kovalam Multi-Purpose Reef is an innovate form of coastal protection that provides value previously not associated with coastal protection structures like seawalls, groins and jetties. The long-term objective of Kovalam Multi-Purpose Reef is to restore the beach by providing 'soft' or 'sustainable' prevention mechanism for coastal erosion.

Providing marine habitat strengthens local fish population, promoting security to the livelihood of local fishermen and providing added benefits to the marine environment. The reef is offshore and submerged and the multi-purpose reef does not restrict access to the coast.

For the sake of beach protection and fishing benefits, a multi-purpose reef can be designed to greatly improve the surfing conditions, which was another strong goal of the project. The reef generates adequate wave for surfing enthusiasts, bringing more travelers and revenue to the area.

The project was focused on Kovalam, but the technology could be used in other locations in India. The multi-purpose reefs can be used as a substitute for the devastating rock seawalls and other hard structures along India's shoreline, which are destroying our tourism and preventing local villagers, access to the sea for fishing."

Check out the Kerala Tourism website

 

  

Learn about Multi-Purpose Reefs

Click on the image below to learn more about Multi-Purpose Reefs

Reef-er gladness: Bio-based approach to coastal protection

By Heather Clancy

Mar 25, 2010

As a scuba diver, I took avid interest in hearing about ASR Ltd, which is a marine consulting company that describes itself as a pioneer in developing and constructing multipurpose reefs.

Yes, these are artificial reefs. No, these are not concrete seawalls. The ASR reefs are constructed with what are essentially supertough sandbags that are made out of a geotextile fiber that promotes the growth of natural marine habits and then sunk in places where they can help protect the shoreline or change the wave energy. Coral they ain’t, but they ARE built according to the principles of biomimicry, which is the practice of emulating processes of nature in products and such.

ASR Marketing Director Chris Jensen says the reefs, which have been used for coastal protection in projects as farflung as England, the United States, New Zealand and India, have a carbon footprint that is up to six times lower than what has been associated with other options for building up coastlines or protecting beaches, such as rocks or concrete armor

The fiber that ASR uses promotes growth within the environment: At one recent project site, fish were eating sea grasses within two weeks of the installation, he says. And at the Gold Coast Reef in Narrowneck, Australia, there are no more than 270 different species associated with the site, according to Jensen. (That location won the Queensland State Environmental Award.)

You can see the artificial reef underwater in the photo below:

Jensen says that the reefs are being used by municipalities for coast protection and to decrease beach erosion by reducing wave energy. Increasingly, however, he says the company has been receiving inquiries from high-end hotel chains interested in creating a more “natural” beach environment near their resort. ASR uses it own 3-D software to study potential project locations for more than two months during the region’s swell season, when waves are most active.

One final note for those of you who appreciate recreational activities at the beach. ASR has a bit of a cult following with surfers. Here’s a fun article from the Financial Times and here’s a surfer reaping the benefits of a new reef finished earlier this year off India. 

ASR's Boscombe reef to hold the Sorted Surf Contest

Surf reef hosts comp

Boscombe reef to hold the Sorted Surf Contest

by WideWorld

10.02.2010

The artificial surf reef at Boscombe, near Bournemouth, will host its first surf championships in March.

The Sorted Surf Festival will run over the 20 and 21 March, and has invited pro surfers and bodyboarders from around the world to come and experience the artificial reef for themselves.

Boscombe reef was built from enormous sandbags, filled in situ on the seafloor and covering an area the size of a football pitch. It provides the area with regular surf almost every day of the year. Despite a troubled start - the opening was delayed due to construction issues with bad weather - it’s proved a massive hit for Southern surfers.

The festival is being organised by the Sorted Surf Shop on Boscombe seafront.  contest categories will consist of a Mens Open, Mens 35+, Ladies Open, and Juniors (under 18´s), and the contest will also host the first leg of the British Bodyboarding Annual Championships.

For more details check out their website here