The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is warning that over 44% of reef-building coral species globally are at risk of extinction.
The warning cam this week at the ongoing COP29 UN climate conference in Azerbaijan.
The conservation status of 892 warm-water reef-building coral species has now been reassessed for the IUCN Red List, and analysis shows that 44% are threatened. The threats to reef-building corals were last assessed for the IUCN Red List in 2008, and at that time one-third were found to be threatened, the organization said in a statement.
IUCN Director General Dr. Grethel Aguilar said:
“As world leaders gather at the UN climate conference in Baku, this global coral assessment vividly illustrates the severe impacts of our rapidly changing climate on life on Earth and drives home the severity of the consequences. Healthy ecosystems like coral reefs are essential for human livelihoods—providing food, stabilizing coastlines, and storing carbon. The protection of our biodiversity is not only vital for our well-being but crucial for our survival. Climate change remains the leading threat to reef-building corals and is devastating the natural systems we depend on. We must take bold, decisive action to cut greenhouse gas emissions if we are to secure a sustainable future for humanity.”
Climate change is the main threat to reef-building coral species. The assessments considered the most recent status update of coral reefs from the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), alongside current and future threats such as the projected increase in warming events and major bleaching events, using Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) data for future warming scenarios. In addition to climate change and related severe bleaching events, corals are affected by other pervasive threats including pollution, agricultural runoff, disease and unsustainable fishing.
For example, Staghorn coral and Elkhorn coral are two Critically Endangered species in the Caribbean that have experienced significant declines due to increased warming, water pollution, hurricanes and the severe impacts of coral diseases.
Beth Polidoro, IUCN Species Survival Commission Coral Red List Authority Coordinator and Associate Professor, School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at Arizona State University, said:
“We need to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions alongside action to address local threats if we want to give coral reefs a chance to survive. By acting now, we can slow the pace of ocean warming and broaden the window of opportunity for corals to potentially adapt and survive in the long term. This is not just about preserving the spectacular beauty of coral reefs. Coral ecosystems also sustain coastal fishing communities, stabilize the shoreline and coastal habitats, and help remove carbon from the ocean, among other benefits.”
The main solution to save corals from extinction is cutting greenhouse gas emissions, accompanied by actions to address other threats, to strengthen species’ resilience. The assessors also recommend more research into if and how corals can adapt to warmer waters, with evidence of limited adaptation so far.
Dr. David Obura, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Coral Specialist Group, said:
“We’ve known for decades that coral reefs are on the frontline of the global climate and biodiversity crises, and this new result only reconfirms this. Without relevant decisions from those with the power to change this trajectory, we will see the further loss of reefs, and progressive disappearance of coral species at larger and larger scales.”
For more info, go to www.iucnredlist.org.
