Building artificial coral reefs made from human ashes to restore marine life

The Star

11 hours ago

A British startup is building memorial reef structures out of human ashes. — AFP
A British start-up has come up with the original and surprising idea of building artificial coral reefs made from human ashes to help restore marine life.
The technique was tested in Bali, Indonesia in 2024 and has already proven successful, demonstrating fish diversity 14 times greater than degraded areas nearby.
In recent years, the funeral industry has been slowly shifting towards more eco-friendly services, with biodegradable urns made from 100% natural materials (clay, salt, earth, sand, plants), recycled cardboard coffins, and even bicycle hearses now available.
But British company Resting Reef is taking innovation even further by offering a service that helps restore the seabed by providing underwater habitats made with human ashes. Founded by designers Aura Murillo Perez and Louise Skajem, this startup uses a process known as "aquamation', a funerary technique that involves dissolving the tissues of a living organism in a heated alkaline liquid, then grinding the bones into a white powder similar to the human ashes obtained by cremation.
With this concept, Resting Reef aims (as stated on its website) to "... redefine the death care industry landscape and evolve the way we all perceive, experience, and interact with death.' The idea is also to offer an eco-friendly, meaningful and purposeful alternative to conventional methods of commemorating a loved one.
To do this, the company mixes human (or animal) ashes obtained through aquamation with crushed oyster shells and concrete, creating a material whose properties enhance marine growth, The Guardian reports.
Once this mixture has been obtained, it is moulded into structures similar to those formed by corals. These artificial reefs are then submerged to sit on sea and ocean floors, at a depth of about 10m.
"The reef sites themselves provide families and friends with the opportunity to visit beautiful natural areas as part of the commemoration of their loved ones. Loved ones may also choose a memento. These are replicas of the reef structures kept at home, as a link to the structures on the seafloor," the Resting Reef founders state.
A "pilot' reef was created in Bali in 2024 using the remains of pets donated by their owners.
"The pilot project attracted 84 fish species and achieved fish diversity 14 times greater than nearby degraded areas,' Auro Murillo Perez told The Guardian. The next step for the founders of this startup is to move on to human ashes and obtain licenses to roll out their concept in the port city of Plymouth in England.
All over the world, the survival of coral reefs is under threat. Ocean warming is causing coral bleaching, which leads to their death. Added to this danger are ocean acidification, water pollution, overfishing and coral predators.
According to figures from a Unesco study published in 2017, most coral reefs are at risk of disappearing by 2050. – AFP Relaxnews