Sculptures of human figures are making a home for marine life in waters off Cancun, Mexico
Isla Mujeres Natural Park, underwater human sculptures, Cancun, Mexico The art is helping to preserve the world's second largest coral reef.
More than 400 of the permanent sculptures have been installed in recent months in the West Coast National Park of Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc, as part of a larger artwork called “The Silent Evolution.” The installation is the first effort of an underwater museum called MUSA, or Museo Subacuático de Arte.
Created by Mexico-based British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, the Caribbean installation covers more than 4,520 square feet (420 square meters), which will make it “one of the largest and most ambitious underwater attractions in the world,” according to a statement from the museum.
Cancun is Mexico's largest tourist destination, with an annual quota of 750,000 visitors to the waters of Isla Mujeres Marine Park.
Since past decades, more than 40% of the natural corals have been lost in the area and scientists predict a permanent loss of 80% by 2050. Only 10 to 15% of the seabed has sufficient substrate to allow the reef to form naturally.
Silent Evolution, Underwater Museum of Art, Cancun Mexico
To increase the number of reefs in these areas, artificial reefs were recently created; with resistant, safe and ecologically friendly materials. These reefs attract coral growth, which in the long run can sustain an entire marine ecosystem.
Silent Evolution, Underwater Museum of Art, Cancun Mexico
One of the greatest benefits of artificial reefs is that they relieve pressure on natural reefs, which have been affected by overfishing, excessive visitors and the onslaught of hurricanes and storms. By bringing attention to artificially created reefs, natural reefs have a valuable chance to repair and regenerate.
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