- Environmental Conservation ·
Restoring Marine Biodiversity: Living Sea Walls
Restore global marine ecosystems by transforming sterile seawalls into thriving underwater habitats.
- Australia
- hello@actionchange.org
Project Summary
Project Challenge
Project Solution
Impact
Reports
Project Summary
Marine construction is a trillion-dollar industry that often turns coastlines into biological deserts. Living Seawalls offers a scientifically proven solution to this “ocean sprawl.” By using 3D-printing technology, we create modular habitat panels that mimic natural shorelines. These panels are retrofitted onto existing structures or built into new ones to bring life back to urban harbors. From Australia to the UK and USA, our global movement is successfully reviving ocean biodiversity. Our panels have been designed and tested in partnership with the University of New South Wales and Reef Design, many international Universities have complemented this invention
Project Challenge
The rapid increase in coastal construction to combat sea-level rise has led to a massive loss of natural habitats. Traditional seawalls are flat, vertical, and smooth, lacking the crevices and rock pools that marine life needs to survive. These “marine deserts” cause a decline in fish populations and water quality. As our human footprint in the ocean grows, we urgently need to ensure that our necessary infrastructure does not come at the cost of a dead or dying marine ecosystem.
Project Solution
Living Seawalls provides an evidence-based approach to mitigating the impact of marine construction. Our habitat panels reintroduce missing protective spaces like holes and crevices. These features protect marine life from predators and environmental extremes. Data shows that these panels support up to three times more species than flat surfaces. By encouraging the growth of oysters and mussels, the walls also act as natural filters, improving water clarity for coastal communities.
Impact
This project ensures the long-term sustainability and self-sufficiency of our global sites. Donations fund ongoing scientific monitoring and the maintenance of current walls across Australia, the UK, and beyond. By expanding our reach, we aim to influence how all future marine structures are designed. Our goal is a world where every harbor wall is a living reef, supporting hundreds of species and contributing to cleaner, healthier oceans for at least the next twenty years and beyond.
Reports
Project Report | Mar 17, 2026
Living Sea Wall is Coming to Africa
By Tyrone Bennett | CEO of Action Change
We have some news that is making a serious splash!
If you’ve been following our journey, you know we started with a simple but bold idea: what if we could turn cold, flat sea walls into thriving, living ecosystems? Well, that concept is officially traveling the world, and the results are even better than we imagined.
Right here in Australia, we now have four “living walls” doing their thing underwater. The best part? The biodiversity research coming back is absolutely mind-blowing. These walls aren’t just sitting there; they are becoming bustling underwater neighborhoods for marine life, proving that we really can help heal our oceans if we give nature the right foundation to build on.
But the “ripple effect” hasn’t stopped at our shores. We are so proud to share that walls have now been installed in the UK, Ireland, Boston, and Brazil! It’s a global movement, and it’s growing fast.
And now for the big one: We are officially coming to Africa!
We’ve just had our very first African installation confirmed, and it’s going to be a beauty—a massive 100-panel wall right in the heart of Cape Town, South Africa. This is a huge milestone for us, but as always, we can’t do it alone. Each of these specialized panels costs $550 to create, transport, and install.
We are currently in a race to raise the funds to get all 100 panels into the water. Every single panel is a new home for kelp, tiny fish, and all the incredible sea creatures that keep our oceans healthy. Whether it’s a full panel or a contribution toward one, you are literally helping us build a reef from the ground up.
The energy in the team is electric. We’re busy prepping the designs, coordinating with the local divers, and getting ready to make history in the Atlantic. Thank you for being the wind in our sails (and the currents in our tide!). We are so excited to show you the first photos of the Cape Town site soon.
Let’s get these panels in the water!
Project Report | Jul 23, 2025
Transforming Sea Walls
By Tyrone Bennett | CEO of Action Change
Bringing the Ocean Back to Life, One Wall at a Time
What began on the shores of Australia as a bold idea by researchers at the University of New South Wales has grown into a global movement that is restoring ocean ecosystems in cities around the world. Living Sea Walls are now breathing life into coastlines across multiple continents from Sydney and Melbourne to Singapore, Gibraltar, Plymouth in the UK, and most recently, Boston in the USA.
Boston’s new wall marks an exciting milestone the first of its kind in North America. Designed using innovative materials adapted for the cold Atlantic environment, this wall is already welcoming marine life back just weeks after installation. It’s proof that, even in urban harbors, we can create space for nature to recover and thrive.
Plymouth in the UK has also played a key role in this movement. Situated on one of the most historically significant coastlines in Britain, the wall here has shown how these panels can merge with heritage infrastructure while still delivering critical biodiversity benefits.
And now, a new chapter is ready to begin in Africa. The team in Cape Town, South Africa, has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to prepare for the continent’s first Living Sea Wall. We’ve identified the installation site, connected with marine scientists and local stakeholders, and begun producing outreach materials to engage the community.
We’ve raised 21% of the total funding needed and now we need your help to close the gap.
This isn’t just a wall it’s a lifeline for biodiversity, a commitment to sustainable cities, and a message that when people and nature work together, recovery is possible. Thank you for walking this journey with us. If you’re able, please consider donating today to help bring the Living Sea Wall to life in Cape Town.
Together, we can restore the edges of our cities and the heart of our oceans.
Marine construction is a trillion-dollar industry that often turns coastlines into biological deserts. Living Seawalls offers a scientifically proven solution to this “ocean sprawl.” By using 3D-printing technology, we create modular habitat panels that mimic natural shorelines. These panels are retrofitted onto existing structures or built into new ones to bring life back to urban harbors. From Australia to the UK and USA, our global movement is successfully reviving ocean biodiversity. Our panels have been designed and tested in partnership with the University of New South Wales and Reef Design, many international Universities have complemented this invention
The rapid increase in coastal construction to combat sea-level rise has led to a massive loss of natural habitats. Traditional seawalls are flat, vertical, and smooth, lacking the crevices and rock pools that marine life needs to survive. These “marine deserts” cause a decline in fish populations and water quality. As our human footprint in the ocean grows, we urgently need to ensure that our necessary infrastructure does not come at the cost of a dead or dying marine ecosystem.
Living Seawalls provides an evidence-based approach to mitigating the impact of marine construction. Our habitat panels reintroduce missing protective spaces like holes and crevices. These features protect marine life from predators and environmental extremes. Data shows that these panels support up to three times more species than flat surfaces. By encouraging the growth of oysters and mussels, the walls also act as natural filters, improving water clarity for coastal communities.
This project ensures the long-term sustainability and self-sufficiency of our global sites. Donations fund ongoing scientific monitoring and the maintenance of current walls across Australia, the UK, and beyond. By expanding our reach, we aim to influence how all future marine structures are designed. Our goal is a world where every harbor wall is a living reef, supporting hundreds of species and contributing to cleaner, healthier oceans for at least the next twenty years and beyond.
Project Report | Mar 17, 2026
Living Sea Wall is Coming to Africa
By Tyrone Bennett | CEO of Action Change
We have some news that is making a serious splash!
If you’ve been following our journey, you know we started with a simple but bold idea: what if we could turn cold, flat sea walls into thriving, living ecosystems? Well, that concept is officially traveling the world, and the results are even better than we imagined.
Right here in Australia, we now have four “living walls” doing their thing underwater. The best part? The biodiversity research coming back is absolutely mind-blowing. These walls aren’t just sitting there; they are becoming bustling underwater neighborhoods for marine life, proving that we really can help heal our oceans if we give nature the right foundation to build on.
But the “ripple effect” hasn’t stopped at our shores. We are so proud to share that walls have now been installed in the UK, Ireland, Boston, and Brazil! It’s a global movement, and it’s growing fast.
And now for the big one: We are officially coming to Africa!
We’ve just had our very first African installation confirmed, and it’s going to be a beauty—a massive 100-panel wall right in the heart of Cape Town, South Africa. This is a huge milestone for us, but as always, we can’t do it alone. Each of these specialized panels costs $550 to create, transport, and install.
We are currently in a race to raise the funds to get all 100 panels into the water. Every single panel is a new home for kelp, tiny fish, and all the incredible sea creatures that keep our oceans healthy. Whether it’s a full panel or a contribution toward one, you are literally helping us build a reef from the ground up.
The energy in the team is electric. We’re busy prepping the designs, coordinating with the local divers, and getting ready to make history in the Atlantic. Thank you for being the wind in our sails (and the currents in our tide!). We are so excited to show you the first photos of the Cape Town site soon.
Let’s get these panels in the water!
Project Report | Jul 23, 2025
Transforming Sea Walls
By Tyrone Bennett | CEO of Action Change
Bringing the Ocean Back to Life, One Wall at a Time
What began on the shores of Australia as a bold idea by researchers at the University of New South Wales has grown into a global movement that is restoring ocean ecosystems in cities around the world. Living Sea Walls are now breathing life into coastlines across multiple continents from Sydney and Melbourne to Singapore, Gibraltar, Plymouth in the UK, and most recently, Boston in the USA.
Boston’s new wall marks an exciting milestone the first of its kind in North America. Designed using innovative materials adapted for the cold Atlantic environment, this wall is already welcoming marine life back just weeks after installation. It’s proof that, even in urban harbors, we can create space for nature to recover and thrive.
Plymouth in the UK has also played a key role in this movement. Situated on one of the most historically significant coastlines in Britain, the wall here has shown how these panels can merge with heritage infrastructure while still delivering critical biodiversity benefits.
And now, a new chapter is ready to begin in Africa. The team in Cape Town, South Africa, has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to prepare for the continent’s first Living Sea Wall. We’ve identified the installation site, connected with marine scientists and local stakeholders, and begun producing outreach materials to engage the community.
We’ve raised 21% of the total funding needed and now we need your help to close the gap.
This isn’t just a wall it’s a lifeline for biodiversity, a commitment to sustainable cities, and a message that when people and nature work together, recovery is possible. Thank you for walking this journey with us. If you’re able, please consider donating today to help bring the Living Sea Wall to life in Cape Town.
Together, we can restore the edges of our cities and the heart of our oceans.
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