Our coral reefs are disappearing

Up to half of the world's coral reefs have already been lost or severely damaged. And the negative development continues. Scientists predict that all corals will be threatened by 2050 and that 75 percent will face high to critical threat levels.

Could disappear completely

By 2070, coral reefs could be gone altogether.

“Children born today may be the last generation to see coral reefs (...) unless we do everything to limit warming to 1.5C, we will lose 99% of the world’s coral reefs”

- David Obura, chair of the Coral Specialist Group in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

More than a fifth of our coral reefs are already lost or severely damaged. And the decline continues with alarming speed. Get more coral reef destruction facts below and see how fast it is actually going.

The good news: Plastic reefs

To make up for our destruction of the coral reefs, a plastic “reef“ has been created in Greece as a result of plastic waste dumped into oceans. Nice!

We are making it happen

Many threats to coral reefs are caused by humans. These threats include overfishing and destructive fishing practices such as the use of explosives and cyanide poison. More “coral reef destruction facts” below.

Rainforests of the sea

Coral reefs make up some of Earth's most diverse ecosystems. Over 25 percent of the ocean species live in coral reefs though they cover less than 0.1 percent of the ocean. Because of the rich coral reefs are sometimes called the "rainforests of the sea".

What are coral reefs?

Coral reefs are large underwater ecosystems made up of the skeletons of corals. Each individual coral is referred to as a polyp. Coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate and live on the skeletons of their ancestors thereby gradually building up the reef.

Threats to coral reefs

Some of the greatest threats to coral reefs are:

Rising water temperatures

When sea temperatures rise it kills the algae that produce food for corals. This is known as coral bleaching.  

Ocean acidification.  

Rising carbon dioxide levels make oceans more acidic which again can make it difficult for coral reefs to form - and even break down the reef structures. This has already started to happen and scientists predict that by 2085, coral reefs will begin to dissolve as a consequence of more acid oceans.

Scientists predict that by 2085 ocean conditions will be acidic enough for corals around the globe to begin to dissolve.  

Algae overload

Runoff from sewage, cities, and farms that feed algae can overwhelm coral reefs.

We risk losing a great potential

A toxin from coral-reef bacteria has the potential to be part of the next generation of cancer drugs.  

Overfishing is part of the reason

The number of fish caught in coral reef fishing is already 64 percent higher than what can be sustained.

Coral reefs are fragile ecosystems

Climate change is another important factor for the future of coral reefs. Coral reefs are very sensitive to even small changes in temperature and could therefore collapse.

Coral reefs deliver ecosystem services for tourism, fisheries and shoreline protection. The annual global economic value of coral reefs is estimated between US$30–375 billion.[6][7] Coral reefs are fragile, partly because they are sensitive to water conditions.

What to do?

Support coral-friendly businesses when you buy seafood. We know it's difficult to tell good from bad but we are working on making it easier.