Corals in East Asia holding out as world’s coral reefs shrink due to more frequent marine heatwaves
Hard coral cover remained stable in East Asian seas despite global hard coral cover decline.
Recent research reveals that coral reefs in East Asian seas, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, are holding steady in cover despite the global decline of coral reefs due to frequent marine heatwaves. The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network's August 31 report reveals that hard coral cover in the region has remained stable between 1980 and 2024, averaging around 30 percent.
In contrast, global hard coral cover dropped from 30.2 percent in 1980 to 27.3 percent in 2024. The region is home to the Coral Triangle, a marine biodiversity hotspot. Scientists attribute the East Asian reefs' resilience to their potential genetic heat tolerance and symbiotic microorganisms that offer heat resistance. However, even these resilient reefs face threats like ocean warming, pollution, overfishing, and coastal development.
The report highlights that while some regions in East Asia may recover, the stability may be masking local vulnerabilities, emphasizing the need for localized data collection to fully understand reef health dynamics.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
