Aberystwyth Uni hopes tiles can attract marine life
Few creatures can call artificial structures such as sea walls and breakwaters home.
But scientists at Aberystwyth University believe they have found a way of attracting marine wildlife to these man-made shores.
Using 3D printers to produce moulds, they have created tiles that provide the "nooks and crannies" normally found on natural rocky reef habitat on a sea wall in Borth, Ceredigion.
"It's like a tiling job with a difference," said Dr Pippa Moore.
If successful, the Ecostructure Project could be rolled out along the Welsh coast and beyond.