Project Location:Qeshm(26.9777280-56.1676030)-Nikshahr Sistan(29.4083380-60.8972170)-
Yakhkesh Behshhr(36.636395-53.585815)-Fereydonkenar(36.6496170-52.4432370)
?Brief Background
The catalyst for initiating the artificial reef pyramid ??project for rehabilitating the marine resources (IRA-G52-2001-005) was the deep ??concerns of the local fishermen in Salakh Village with the problem of depleting ??fish stocks, which they believed was the result of a long drought as consequence ??of climate change, the excess fishing (e.g. industrial fishing and trawling) as well ??as the unsustainable practices that have damaged coral reefs, the vital habitat for ??fish to nest and breed. Since December 2003, SGP has been backing a project ??in Salakh village in the southwest of the island to build artificial reefs in an effort ??to boost fish stocks. The goal of this project was to design reefs that could be ??built and deployed by the fishermen themselves, using their own capabilities. ??While the artificial reefs designed by the fisheries authorities (Shilat ? Iran ??Fisheries Organization) were far too expensive and heavy to handle, needing ??ships to deploy them, the local community and the consultant brought in by SGP ??were able to design a 100-kilogram cement reef that is compatible with local ??capabilities and technologies available at the site. The simple pyramid designs ??meant fishermen could build them on their own, transfer them in their pick up ??trucks, load them on their dhows with the winches available at the wharf and ??deploy them in the water using the cranes on their dhows.
Two other project ??were initiated to further the success of this project with an Environment Impact ??Assessment (EIA) in collaboration with the Khorramshahr University of Marine ??Science and Technology, IRA/05/08(56th) and
a documentation of this ??project for future expansion and replication, IRA/05/07(55th) ?

The success of ?the SGP Artificial Reef Project; IRA-G52-2001-005, is its innovative technology ?that has combined scientific studies with the local knowledge and hence the ?design of the model is in consideration of the local capability and availability of ?local resources.
There has been many requests from other local ?communities, official agencies such as the Iranian Fisheries Organization as well ?as international programs such as IUCN and other SGP countries for any sort of ?documentation on ?How? the Artificial Reef Pyramids produced in this project ?were built, submerged and maintained by the fishermen community of Salakh. ??
As a first step towards replicating and extending this project, the following ?activities will be implemented in this project:
1.produce a bilingual manual on ???How to??? with comprehensible and simple texts to used by other ?communities (At its final stages)
2.translate the Farsi brochure of IRA-G52-2001-005 so that it ?will be produced in English for further international advocacy(1000 copies were produced and widely distributed)
3.launch a ?website for this project (initial pages designed http:\\sgp-reefpyramids.ir and will be completed after the EIA results are finalized)
4.empower the community in producing this literature ?and recording their lessons learned by providing computer classes for the ?involved locals(training completed for 16 girls and 14 boys)
5.empowering the youth in producing clay miniature models ?of the reef pyramids (as decorative pieces in aquariums) for a double goal of advocacy ?and income generation(equipment procured and training has started)
Additionally the project contributed to enhance the short film of Artificial Reef Pyramid as part of the communication package required for advocating the expansion and replication of this project.