3D printing to help the environment: the first 3D printed coral reef!

 

(Source: http://ptacnik.com/coralprint00.gif)

In the Persian Gulf, the first 3D printed coral has been put in place to replace destroyed wildlife whose disappearance was negatively impacting the coral reef as a whole. With this new base, the coral will be able to start regenerating. 

The Australian Institute of Marine Sciences and other research bodies in Australia are interested researching this method more in depth to see if it could be applied on Australian shores.
This is seen as an important application of 3D printing that the Australian coral reefs could benefit from, as global warming starts to take its toll on the Australian coral reefs.
More specifically the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, one of largest in the world, is suffering greatly from pollution and warmer conditions.
The ecosystem there is threatened by the death and disappearance of large parts of the coral, in which many endangered or vulnerable species live.

Introducing 3D printed coral could slow down the disappearance of the coral and give the local species more time to adapt to the changes in the environment, and maybe, in the long term, enable the reconstruction of natural coral and renewed growth of the coral reef.

More information on the current project can be found at Forbes.com
Source: Forbes, 2013.10.21, "3d Printed Reef Restores Marine life in the Persian Gulf"