New GCRMN brief highlights the role of coral reef monitoring in global biodiversity action ahead of CBD COP17
The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) has released a new Science-to-Action Brief, Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025 – Results and Implications for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), highlighting the critical role of long-term coral reef monitoring in supporting global biodiversity commitments. The Brief draws on the Status of Coral Reefs […]
London reception brings together global voices for coral reefs
More than 60 representatives from governments, diplomatic missions, science and conservation organisations, financial institutions and other stakeholders gathered in London on Wednesday 30 September 2026 to mark the European launch of the Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025. Hosted on behalf of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), Australian Institute of Marine […]
Marine heatwaves are closing the window for coral reef recovery, landmark global report warns
The most comprehensive assessment of the status of coral reefs ever published shows that climate-driven marine heatwaves are reshaping reefs worldwide; scientists call for urgent, evidence-based action to safeguard the future of coral reefs. KEY FACTS 21.1 million observations from 36,886 reef sites across 124 countries and territories make this the largest global assessment of […]
Heat Stress Builds Across the Northern Caribbean: Forecasts Basin Wide Alert Level 1 by November
The latest Caribbean Coral Reef Watch bulletin (Volume XI, Issue IV, covering August to November 2026) reports Bleaching Alert Level 1 and 2 heat stress across Florida, The Bahamas and Cuba as of 11 August 2026, with significant heat stress expected to spread south through the basin over the coming months. The bulletin is produced […]
AIMS Long Term Monitoring Program Annual Summary Report 2025-26 released
The Great Barrier Reef is showing encouraging early signs of recovery following the 2024-25 widespread coral bleaching event. The latest results from the Australian Institute of Marine Science Long-Term Monitoring Program (LTMP), released today found; Hard coral cover increased slightly across two of the three regions, in line with long term averages from the past […]
What are coral reefs really worth? A new NOAA report measures their value beyond dollars
A new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sets out one of the most comprehensive attempts yet to capture the full value of coral reefs to people in the United States, including dimensions that cannot be expressed in monetary terms. Ecosystem Services Valuation of U.S. Coral Reefs, published in May 2026 by […]
The most intense global coral bleaching event on record has likely ended, NOAA confirms
The fourth global coral bleaching event, the most widespread and intense on record, has likely concluded in mid-2025, NOAA experts have determined following an analysis of satellite data and field bleaching observations. From early 2023 to mid-2025, 84% of the world’s coral reefs were subject to bleaching-level heat stress across all three coral reef-containing ocean […]
Status and Trend of Seychelles Coral Reefs 2026
On Tuesday 26th May, the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) launched the Status and Trend of Seychelles Coral Reefs: 2026, one of the most comprehensive national coral reef assessments yet produced for the country. Funded through the Global Fund for Coral Reefs under the Seychelles OCEAN’S RESOLVE Programme, the report consolidates dispersed monitoring […]
U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Announces Standard Operating Procedure for Coral Bleaching Monitoring
As coral bleaching events intensify in frequency and severity, the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) announced the release of its first Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for monitoring coral bleaching. This new guidance, released in May 2026, addresses the critical need for standardized and simplified procedures to quantify the impacts of bleaching consistently across space […]
1000+ coral reefs ‘discovered’ in northern Australia
Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) scientists have unveiled and mapped more than 1000 previously uncharted coral reefs in northern Australia, all without setting foot on a boat, or even leaving their offices. Despite being a habitat for a wide range of marine life, and possibly known by locals, reefs from Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia […]