1. Hard engineering is increasingly modifying urban coastlines, leading to the widespread loss of natural, heterogeneous shoreline habitats and their associated biodiversity. Eco-engineering – the integration of ecological considerations into the design of urban infrastructure – is an increasingly common mitigation strategy.
2. We assessed the benefits of Living Boulders – eco-engineered rip-rap boulders with integrated artificial rockpools – in enhancing the biodiversity at site, boulder and microhabitat-scales.
3. No site-scale effects of Living Boulders were observed for benthos, although fish sampling revealed increased richness and habitat uses at Modified sites. Instead, strong localised boulder-scale effects were observed, with greater benthic species richness and sessile coverage on Living Boulders, particularly at higher elevations and for the tops of boulders, consistent with the addition of water-retaining microhabitats.
4. Over the 22 month study, there was strong convergence of the benthic communities of Living Boulder artificial rockpools with those of natural rockpools on nearby rocky shores.
5. Synthesis and applications: The results highlight how the eco-engineering of rip-rap revetments with artificial rockpools can locally enhance biodiversity. Thus, depending on the number and position of modules introduced, integrating water-retaining features into revetments could prove a useful mechanism for enhancing shoreline biodiversity.
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