MELBOURNE, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Every shallow-water coral reef ecosystem in Australia faces an extremely high risk of collapse by 2075, largely driven by projected ocean warming, according to a global assessment.
The assessment, led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) researchers at Australia's University of Melbourne and over 250 researchers across more than 80 countries and territories, found that 96 percent of the world's assessed coral reef ecosystems are classified as critically endangered, including all 17 Australian coral reef ecosystems, according to a university statement released on Thursday.
Researchers identified climate-driven ocean warming as the most widespread and severe threat to coral reefs, with increasingly frequent marine heatwaves causing mass coral bleaching and widespread coral mortality.
The study evaluated coral reef ecosystems in 127 tropical and subtropical marine ecoregions, including Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Triangle in Southeast Asia and the western Pacific, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and the Red Sea.
Mishal Gudka, a University of Melbourne research fellow and scientific lead of the assessment, said much of the risk is driven by projected changes that have not yet fully materialized, making this a critical window for conservation and climate action.
Despite covering less than 1 percent of the ocean floor, coral reefs support around a quarter of all marine species and provide habitat, food and breeding grounds for thousands of species, while supporting fisheries, tourism and coastal protection for millions of people, the researchers said.
The assessment warned that stronger local management and rapid decarbonization could help avoid coral reef collapse, but the window for action was rapidly closing. ■
