Overview

• The 2025 AIMS survey found coral cover fell by 25% in the northern region, 13.9% in the central region and almost 33% in the southern region, with two areas recording their largest annual losses since 1986.
• Consecutive climate-driven bleaching events were magnified by cyclones, floods and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, eroding the reef’s capacity to recover.
• Fast-growing Acropora corals, which underpinned recent rebounds, suffered the deepest impacts from heat stress and starfish predation, undermining long-term stability.
• Fluctuating coral cover over the past 15 years signals an ecosystem under mounting stress and raises the prospect of a tipping point beyond which recovery may be impossible.
• The Australian government is considering tougher 2035 emissions reduction targets to address greenhouse gas drivers and safeguard the reef’s future.