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3w ago

Great Barrier Reef Sees Record Coral Decline in Annual Survey

Scientists warn that resilient coral pockets risk being lost without steep greenhouse gas cuts by 2035

Peter Gash, owner and manager of the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, snorkels during an inspection of the reef's condition in an area called the 'Coral Gardens' located at Lady Elliot Island and north-east from the town of Bundaberg in Queensland, Australia, June 11, 2015. REUTERS/David Gray/File photo
Assorted reef fish swim above a finger coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia October 25, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
An Acropora coral colony grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia October 26, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
A school of fish swim above a finger coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia October 25, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

Overview

  • 2025 AIMS survey records largest annual drop in hard coral cover across the Great Barrier Reef, with regional declines of 25% in the north, 13.9% in the central zone and nearly 30% in the south.
  • Climate-driven marine heatwaves triggered back-to-back mass bleaching events in 2024 and early 2025, compounded by cyclones, floods and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks.
  • Despite plunges from record highs, overall coral cover now sits near long-term averages but shows rapid oscillations, signaling an ecosystem under mounting stress.
  • Pockets of thriving coral communities persist, offering recovery potential if global warming is curbed through aggressive emissions reductions.
  • The recent bleaching forms part of a global event affecting over 80% of the world’s reefs and has intensified calls for Australia to set a strong 2035 emissions target.