Marine regeneration is an essential mission aimed at restoring our oceans back into the productive and healthy ecosystems they once were. Among the many challenges faced by conservationists, one concept that often quietly impacts efforts is the ‘shifting baseline syndrome’, first considered by fisheries scientist Daniel Pauly. This term refers to a phenomenon where each generation of scientists and ocean users accepts the condition of the environment they first encounter as the norm, or baseline, even though this baseline may have already been significantly degraded compared to previous generations.

tarting off her career on gut bacteria research in Cape Town, Dr. Natacha Juste-Poinapen took a fascinating path applying her chemical engineering expertise to the marine environment, a place close to her heart, having grown up near the ocean. As the first hire at Oyster Heaven, Natacha focuses on enhancing oyster regeneration and evaluating restoration site suitability by studying the microbiological components of oyster reefs. She collaborates with DTU Aqua in Denmark, and Deltares and NIOZ in the Netherlands, bringing unique insights to our ambitious goal of restoring historic oyster reefs.

As we work hard to implement our approach to oyster reef restoration in the Netherlands and the UK, we are also filling up our project pipeline to initiate even more reefs to steadily bring back the lost oyster reefs in our European waters and beyond. With our workload growing, our team expanding, and our outreach broadening, it’s time to introduce the dedicated individuals who’ve been working tirelessly behind the scenes. Let’s begin with our founder, George, the visionary driving force behind it all…

In the world of marine conservation, the search for effective materials to aid restoration is a never-ending exploration. For oyster reefs specifically, the need for a suitable substrate is the key in achieving reef revitalisation. Among the many materials, clay stands out as a tested solution which has led us at Oyster Heaven to use it as the preferred material to kick start large-scale oyster reefs.

Every ecosystem is made up of different species interacting with each other in different ways. We are quite familiar with the predator/prey relationship that ensures the balance in the food web as a means of protection. A good example is the key role of sharks in controlling the number of sea turtles that could otherwise impact seagrass on which they feed.