09/03/2026
The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) has just released the Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025 report. Drawing on more than 40 years of monitoring data, including 21.1 million observations from nearly 37,000 reef sites, this is the largest global assessment of coral reefs ever undertaken. The report provides a global picture of changes in hard coral and macroalgal cover, while also examining trends across each of GCRMN’s ten regions.
𝙆𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
➡️ 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. Average hard coral cover declined by 9.5% between the 1980 to 2009 reference period and 2020 to 2024, with increasingly frequent and intense marine heatwaves associated with climate change identified as the primary driver.
➡️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲. Coral reef decline is not uniform. Regional differences show that reefs are responding differently to climate impacts and other pressures, and that recovery remains possible under favorable conditions.
➡️ 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹. Ambitious reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, combined with effective management of local pressures such as overfishing, coastal development, and poor water quality, offer the strongest pathway for maintaining coral cover and supporting reef recovery.
📒 Read the report here: https://gcrmn.net/2025-report/
🧾 And the summary for policy makers here:https://gcrmn.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/gcrmn_2025_summary-for-policymakers.pdf
Learn more about the findings from report author Dr. Manuel Gonzalez-Rivero, who will be presenting during our webinar with Coral Reef Alliance and ICRI: Understanding and Responding to a Very Strong El Niño Year. Register to join the webinar on September 17 (Caribbean) / September 18 (Pacific) and learn what managers can do to prepare: https://reefresilience.org/understanding-and-responding-to-a-very-strong-el-nino-year-webinar/
