🌅 Coral Reefs Might Be Hardier than Believed

SOURCE

Zawada et al. (2026)

WHAT TO KNOW

• A new global analysis of 45,000 coral surveys and six decades of field observations identified more than 64,000 square miles of coral reefs that might be capable of withstanding the effects of climate change, three times more than previous estimates. The analysis by the Wildlife Conservation Society suggests about a third of the world’s coral reefs are hardier than scientists previously believed, however, they aren’t spread evenly throughout the world, with 61% of the climate-resistant zones located in just five countries: Australia, the Bahamas, Cuba, Indonesia, and the Philippines. See where the heat-resistant reefs are located on this global map. The study was published as a preprint, meaning it has yet to be peer-reviewed.

WHY IT MATTERS

• The analysis offers a more nuanced picture about the health of the world’s coral reefs, though experts say it’d be disingenuous to suggest the reefs are thriving. Coral reefs around the globe are under constant stress from pollution, overfishing, rising ocean temperatures, and tropical cyclones, all of which make bleaching events more frequent. The present study found just 28% of the climate-resistant reefs are located within protected areas, and calls on governments around the world to advance effective conservation policies.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• Research shows about one-third of all known marine life relies on coral reefs, as do around one billion people and roughly $10 trillion in economic benefits. The present study updates the landmark 50 Reefs study published in 2018, the first paper to systematically identify areas around the world where coral reefs could survive climate change. It also helps nations advance the U.N.’s “30 by 30” target, which calls for the formal conservation of at least 30% of the world’s land, oceans, and inland bodies of water by 2030.