Montserrat, Caribbean
Restoring marine ecosystems and coastal livelihoods in the Eastern Caribbean
ReefSystems and Island Solutions have joined forces to launch one of the most ambitious artificial reef restoration projects ever undertaken in the Eastern Caribbean. Located off the coast of Montserrat, the project aims to reverse decades of marine ecosystem decline while creating new economic opportunities for local communities.
Across the Caribbean, coral reef degradation has led to declining fish populations, reduced biodiversity, and increasing pressure on communities that depend on the ocean for their livelihoods. The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has identified marine ecosystem restoration as a key priority, recognizing the direct connection between healthy reefs, fisheries, tourism, and local economic resilience.
Stage 1: Preparing the local production facility
The first stage focuses on preparing everything needed to establish a local MOSES production facility on Montserrat. ReefSystems has assembled the complete workshop setup, including reusable moulds, tools, equipment, safety materials and other essential production supplies.
All equipment was consolidated in the Netherlands and shipped by container to Montserrat. Materials for the reef production such as concrete aggregates are sourced locally to reduce transport costs and maximize local economic impact.
In parallel, ReefSystems and Island Solutions will prepare the workshop location, local supply chains and logistics. Once the container arrives, the workshop can be assembled and local team members trained, creating the foundation for long-term reef production directly on the island.
Stage 2: A community-driven approach
What makes ReefSystems projects valuable is its strong focus on local participation and economic development. Rather than importing reef structures from abroad, ReefSystems establishes local production facilities for MOSES-reefs. This facility enables reef modules to be manufactured using locally available materials while creating employment opportunities for residents.
By training and employing local workers, the project ensures that investment remains within the community. The knowledge, skills, and infrastructure developed through the project will create long-term capacity for future marine restoration initiatives throughout the region. The production facility is designed to manufacture thousands of MOSES reef units that will form the foundation of a large-scale reef network around Montserrat.
Stage 3: Building larger and more stable reefs
The Government of Montserrat expressed the ambition to create larger reef structures reaching up to three meters in height. Building reefs at this scale required additional stability and weight at the base of each structure.
To meet these requirements, ReefSystems developed a large concrete base plate design. These provide a stable foundation onto which the modular reef structures can be securely built, allowing the reefs to grow vertically while remaining stable in the local marine conditions.
The base plates were also produced locally on Montserrat, using the workshop and local production capacity established during the earlier stages of the project. This demonstrates how local manufacturing can be used not only to produce standard reef modules, but also to adapt the system to site-specific restoration needs.
