Sustainability

Eco-enhanced seawalls enrich surrounding marine ecology

15  December  2020

As part of the Marine Ecology and Fisheries Enhanced Strategy for the Expansion of Hong Kong International Airport into a Three Runway System (3RS), the Airport Authority (AA) has adopted eco-enhanced designs in the artificial seawalls of the 3RS project, with the addition of over 500 eco-enhanced concrete blocks, to help enrich the marine ecology in the vicinity of project area. The first batch of these bespoke eco-blocks were installed on the eastern and northern vertical seawalls last year.

These eco-blocks incorporate a range of design features including small-scale pools, grooves and pits intended to promote colonisation of the physical seawall structure with a more diverse range of marine organisms, compared to normal artificial seawall blocks. Some of the seawall blocks also incorporate larger rock pools which provide more substantial shelter and protection for marine organisms. The design of rock pools have also considered how to minimise bird attraction in these locations close to the airfield, in order to safeguard aircraft operational safety. A one-year monitoring programme is helping to quantify the positive ecological impacts gained from these innovative feature.