For more information or interviews please contact:
Harriet Brooker, IUCN Media Relations, +44 7960241862, press@iucn.org
Amy Coles, IUCN Media Relations, +41 794157857, press@iucn.org

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Embargoed until 10 am CET, 13 November 2024

Baku, Azerbaijan, 13 November 2024 (IUCN) – Forty-four per cent of reef-building coral species globally are at risk of extinction, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ reveals following a global assessment announced today at the ongoing COP29 UN climate conference in Azerbaijan.

The conservation status of 892 warm-water reef-building coral species has now been reassessed for the IUCN Red List, and analysis shows that 44% are threatened. The threats to reef-building corals were last assessed for the IUCN Red List in 2008, and at that time one third were found to be threatened.

“As world leaders gather at the UN climate conference in Baku, this global coral assessment vividly illustrates the severe impacts of our rapidly changing climate on life on Earth and drives home the severity of the consequences," said IUCN Director General Dr Grethel Aguilar. "Healthy ecosystems like coral reefs are essential for human livelihoods—providing food, stabilising coastlines, and storing carbon. The protection of our biodiversity is not only vital for our well-being but crucial for our survival. Climate change remains the leading threat to reef-building corals and is devastating the natural systems we depend on. We must take bold, decisive action to cut greenhouse gas emissions if we are to secure a sustainable future for humanity."

Climate change is the main threat to reef-building coral species. The assessments considered the most recent status update of coral reefs from the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), alongside current and future threats, such as the projected increase in warming events and major bleaching events, using Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) data for future warming scenarios. In addition to climate change and related severe bleaching events, corals are affected by other pervasive threats including pollution, agricultural runoff, disease and unsustainable fishing.

For example, Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) are two Critically Endangered species in the Caribbean that have experienced significant declines due to increased warming, water pollution, hurricanes and the severe impacts of coral diseases.

“We need to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions alongside action to address local threats if we want to give coral reefs a chance to survive,” said Beth Polidoro, IUCN Species Survival Commission Coral Red List Authority Coordinator. “By acting now, we can slow the pace of ocean warming and broaden the window of opportunity for corals to potentially adapt and survive in the long term. This is not just about preserving the spectacular beauty of coral reefs. Coral ecosystems also sustain coastal fishing communities, stabilise the shoreline and coastal habitats, and help remove carbon from the ocean, among other benefits.”

The main solution to save corals from extinction is cutting greenhouse gas emissions, accompanied by actions to address other threats, to strengthen species’ resilience. The assessors also recommend more research into if and how corals can adapt to warmer waters, with evidence of limited adaptation so far.

“We’ve known for decades that coral reefs are on the frontline of the global climate and biodiversity crises, and this new result only reconfirms this. Without relevant decisions from those with the power to change this trajectory, we will see the further loss of reefs, and progressive disappearance of coral species at larger and larger scales,” said Dr David Obura, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Coral Specialist Group.

The majority of corals are found across the Indo-Pacific. The global assessment of reef-building corals includes 85 Atlantic coral species highlighted in a PLOS One journal article also published today. Atlantic coral species are particularly highly threatened due to annual severe bleaching events, pollution and the impacts of disease.

Today’s global assessment covers all reef-building corals, which are found in shallow, warm water habitats and form the colourful reefs seen in tropical and sub-tropical ocean areas. Red List assessments of cold-water corals, which are found in colder, deeper waters around the world and do not depend on sunlight, are ongoing. Twenty-two species of cold-water coral out of a total of over 4,000 have been assessed so far. The main threats to these species include fishing activity, especially bottom trawling, deep sea mining, drilling for oil and gas, or laying of deep-sea cables. One example of a threatened deep-water coral is the White coral (Desmophyllum pertusum), which was assessed as Vulnerable. Future ocean acidification and warming oceans due to climate change are also a threat.

“Marine species face threats from climate change and human activities, but the impact is sometimes hidden from view; the state of corals highlights this, and also shows how important it is to expand the Red List to include more ocean species,” said Professor Julia Sigwart, Head of Malacology at Senckenberg Research Institute and Museum, a Red List Partner.

Built over tens of thousands of years, coral reefs are the most biodiverse of marine ecosystems. Climate change causes rising water temperatures and more intense solar radiation, which lead to coral bleaching and disease often resulting in mass coral mortality. Reef-building corals have a symbiotic relationship with algae called zooxanthellae, which give corals their vivid colours. Coral bleaching is the result of a stress response to increased water temperatures, whereby the algae are expelled from the tissues.

Supporting quotes

“This Global Coral Assessment raises the alarm for urgent collective action to stop the decline of coral reefs worldwide. The MSC Foundation is proud to partner with the IUCN Coral Red List team, who have done an exceptional job collecting the most reliable data to assess and report on the status of the world’s reef-building corals,” said Daniela Picco, Executive Director of the MSC Foundation. “The IUCN Red List guides our Foundation in making science-based philanthropic decisions, for lasting and impactful conservation efforts that contribute to preserving our blue planet. It will continue to be a vital resource for our family-led foundation for generations.”

“The latest global assessment brings troubling news for corals with more than 340 species now being considered at risk of extinction. Much work remains to be done to secure the future of these species and the vital reefs they form.  An ocean without functioning coral reefs would be a bleak reality, highlighting the urgent need to find solutions to the climate crisis while simultaneously addressing today’s coral crisis,” said Professor David Smith, MSC Foundation Chief Science Advisor. “The IUCN report highlights two key coral species that have been central to our collaborative research focused on identifying resilient coral genotypes enhancing the efficiency—and, by extension, the success—of restoration efforts designed to rebuild critical coral ecosystems.”

The MSC Foundation provided support that made this Global Coral Assessment possible.

Funding was also provided by National Geographic and Eurofins, and co-funding from the partners – CORDIO East Africa, Arizona State University, ZSL among others.

About MSC Foundation

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the MSC Foundation is the philanthropic entity of the MSC Group. Established by the Aponte family in 2018, the Foundation supports causes in environmental conservation, community support, education, and emergency relief. Its mission is to use MSC’s global reach and knowledge of the sea to take action that contributes to protecting and nurturing the blue planet and its people. For more information, visit: www.mscfoundation.org and follow on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Download photos here.

For more information or interviews please contact:
Harriet Brooker, IUCN Media Relations, +44 7960241862, press@iucn.org
Amy Coles, IUCN Media Relations, +41 794157857, press@iucn.org

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the IUCN Red List, IUCN and the Red List Partners have launched a global social media campaign to raise awareness and funds to accelerate species assessments and reassessments. The campaign will culminate at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, in October 2025. Learn more about the campaign.

The Global Coral Assessment was led by the IUCN SSC Coral Specialist Group, working with fellow Red List Partners including Arizona State University and Senckenberg, as well as the Marine Biodiversity Assessment Unit at Old Dominion University and Cordio East Africa. Over 160 experts from around the world have been involved in the Global Coral Assessment over the past decade.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ (or The IUCN Red List) is an invaluable resource to guide conservation action and policy decisions. It is a health check for our planet – a Barometer of Life. It is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungus and plant species. It is based on an objective system for assessing the risk of extinction of a species should no conservation action be taken.

Species are assigned to one of eight categories of threat based on whether they meet criteria linked to population trend, population size and structure and geographic range. Species listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable are collectively described as ‘threatened’.

The IUCN Red List is not just a register of names and associated threat categories. It is a rich compendium of information on the threats to the species, their ecological requirements, where they live, and information on conservation actions that can be used to reduce or prevent extinctions. When an animal, fungus or plant changes Red List Category for genuine reasons, this reflects a change in the extinction risk for that species. It is therefore a key indicator for tracking conservation successes and failures. The IUCN Red List is a joint effort between IUCN and its Species Survival Commission, working with its IUCN Red List partners – ABQ BioPark; Arizona State University; BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Conservation International; Missouri Botanical Garden; NatureServe; Re:wild; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Senckenberg Society for Nature Research; Texas A&M University; and Zoological Society of London. This work has been made possible with the essential contribution of the Red List Partners. www.iucnredlist.org Facebook Twitter.

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and some 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being. www.iucn.org.

With over 10,000 members in 186 countries, the Species Survival Commission (SSC) is the largest of the seven expert commissions of IUCN and enables IUCN to influence, encourage and assist societies to conserve biodiversity by building knowledge on the status and threats to species, providing advice, developing policies and guidelines, facilitating conservation planning, and catalysing conservation action. Learn more.

Located along the Rio Grande River near downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, ABQ BioPark consists of: The ABQ BioPark Zoo, Botanic Garden, Aquarium and Tingley Beach. Welcoming more than 1.3 million visitors per year, we are the top tourist destination in the state of New Mexico and a critical resource for education and conservation in the Southwest US. Through captive breeding programs, large-scale freshwater fish rearing and reintroduction, habitat restoration initiatives, and seed banking, ABQ BioPark is committed to building sustainable conservation initiatives that benefit New Mexico and the world. ABQ BioPark supports conservation measures within the Assess, Plan, Act model by contributing directly to research, providing technical and logistical support for the IUCN SSC, and engaging in direct conservation action. The New Mexico BioPark Society (NMBPS), the nonprofit support organization for the ABQ BioPark, funds the Center for Species Survival New Mexico and the Red List partnership in its entirety and employs three CSS Officers at the ABQ BioPark. To learn more about the ABQ BioPark, visit their website, or follow them on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. For more information on NMBPS, visit www.bioparksociety.org.

Ranked #1 in the U.S. for innovation, Arizona State University (ASU) is a new model for American higher education, combining academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy and broad access. It serves more than 70,000 students in metropolitan Phoenix, AZ. ASU champions intellectual and cultural diversity, and welcomes students from all fifty states and more than one hundred nations across the globe. ASU’s Center for Biodiversity Outcomes (CBO) is a partnership between the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS) and the School of Life Sciences (SoLS) via partnerships with NGOs, companies, and governmental organisations. Follow CBO’s work on Twitter. www.asu.edu.

BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership, uniting over 100 national partners worldwide. Through our unique local-to-global approach, we deliver high impact and long-term conservation for the benefit of nature and people. As the official authority for birds for the IUCN Red List, BirdLife coordinates the process of evaluating all of the world’s bird species against the Red List categories and criteria. Find out more at www.birdlife.org.

BGCI is an international organisation that exists to ensure the world-wide conservation of threatened plants, the continued existence of which are intrinsically linked to global issues including poverty, human well-being and climate change. BGCI represents over 700 members - mostly botanic gardens - in 118 countries. We aim to support and empower our members and the wider conservation community so that their knowledge and expertise can be applied to reversing the threat of extinction crisis facing one third of all plants. www.bgci.org.

Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, CI empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the long term well-being of people. Founded in 1987 and marking its 25th anniversary in 2012, CI has headquarters in the Washington DC area, and 900 employees working in nearly 30 countries on four continents, plus 1,000+ partners around the world. For more information, please visit www.conservation.org, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is the oldest continuously operating botanical garden in the USA and a National Historic Landmark. MBG is a center for botanical research, conservation, and science education. The information contained in the MBG herbarium, one of the world’s largest, and in the TROPICOS® database, coupled with broad staff expertise in systematics and ecology, support a wide array of conservation activities conducted by members of the Science and Conservation Division, including basic and applied research, conservation of important groups such as orchids, the management of a dozen community-based conservation sites in Madagascar, and risk of extinction assessments, all of which form part of MBG’s contribution to the IUCN Red List Partnership. www.missouribotanicalgarden.org.

For 50 years, NatureServe has been the authoritative source for biodiversity data and the central coordinating organization for a network of over 60 member programs throughout North America. Together, NatureServe and the network of member programs are dedicated to developing, collecting, and analyzing biodiversity information to support informed decisions about managing, protecting, restoring, and conserving natural resources. NatureServe and the Network develop and manage data for over 100,000 species and ecosystems, answering fundamental questions about what exists, where it is found, and how it is doing. www.natureserve.org.

Re:wild protects and restores the diversity of life on Earth through innovative collaborations among individuals, communities, Indigenous peoples, governments, scientists, and businesses to drive the most pressing nature-based solutions to our planet's urgent crises. Radical change requires radical collaboration. For more information, follow them on Twitter or Facebook. www.rewild.org.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe. Kew’s scientists and partners lead the way in the fight against biodiversity loss and finding nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, aided by five key scientific priorities outlined in Kew’s Science Strategy 2021-2025. Kew Gardens is also a major international and top London visitor attraction. Kew’s 132 hectares of historic, landscaped gardens, and Wakehurst, Kew’s Wild Botanic Garden and ‘living laboratory’, attract over 2.5 million visits every year. Kew Gardens was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 260th anniversary in 2019. Wakehurst is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world and a safeguard against the disastrous effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. RBG Kew received approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needs to support RBG Kew’s vital scientific and educational work comes from donors, memberships and commercial activity including ticket sales. For tickets, please visit www.kew.org/kew-gardens/visit-kew-gardens/tickets. In the first six months since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed over 45,000 visitors with £1 tickets. 

Kew Science is the driving force behind RBG Kew’s mission to understand and protect plants and fungi, for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth. Over 470 Kew science staff work with partners in more than 100 countries worldwide to halt biodiversity loss, uncover secrets of the natural world, and to conserve and restore the extraordinary diversity of plants and fungi.

Kew’s Science Strategy 2021–2025 lays out five scientific priorities to aid these goals: research into the protection of biodiversity through Ecosystem Stewardship, understanding the variety and evolution of traits in plants and fungi through Trait Diversity and Function; digitising and sharing tools to analyse Kew’s scientific collections through Digital Revolution; using new technologies to speed up the naming and characterisation of plants and fungi through Accelerated Taxonomy; and cultivating new scientific and commercial partnerships in the UK and globally through Enhanced Partnerships.

One of Kew’s greatest international collaborations is the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, which has to date stored more than 2.4 billion seeds of over 40,000 wild species of plants across the globe. In 2023, Kew scientists estimated in the State of the World’s Plants and Fungi report that 3 in 4 undescribed plants globally are already likely threatened with extinction.

With over 700 years of history and 113,000 students, Sapienza is the largest University in Europe, the second in the world after El Cairo: a city within the city. The University includes 11 faculties and 58 departments. In Sapienza there are over 3,311 professors, and 4,000 administrative and technical staff. Sapienza offers a wide choice of courses including 281 degree programs. There are 9,234 foreign students. Sapienza plans and carries out important scientific investigations in almost all disciplines, achieving high-standard results both on a national and on an international level. Antonella Polimeni has been the Rector of Sapienza University sin December 2020. www.uniroma1.it.

The Senckenberg Society for Nature Research (Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung), a research institute within the German Leibniz Association, has studied the "Earth System" on a global scale for over 200 years – in the past, in the present, and into the future. The 12 Senckenberg institutes and sites across Germany conduct integrative "geobiodiversity research" with the goal of understanding nature with its near infinite diversity, so we can preserve it for future generations and use it in a sustainable fashion. In addition, Senckenberg presents its research results in a variety of ways, first and foremost in its three natural history museums in Frankfurt, Görlitz, and Dresden. The Senckenberg natural history museums are places of learning and wonder and serve as open platforms for a democratic dialogue – inclusive, participative, and international. For additional information, follow them on a variety of social media channels and visit their website: www.senckenberg.de.

From humble beginnings in 1876 as Texas' first public institution of higher learning, to a bustling 5,200-acre campus with a nationally recognised faculty, Texas A&M University is one of a select few universities with land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant designations. With an enrolment of about half men and half women, 25 percent of the freshman class are the first in their family to attend college. Here, 39,000-plus undergraduates and more than 9,400 graduate students have access to world-class research programs and award-winning faculty. Texas A&M has two branch campuses, one in Galveston, Texas, and one in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. This research-intensive flagship university with 10 colleges was recently ranked first in the nation by Smart Money magazine for "pay-back ratio" (what graduates earn compared to the cost of their education). The 2011 U.S. News and World Report ranked Texas A&M second nationally in their "Great Schools, Great Prices" category among public universities and 22nd overall. Many degree programs are ranked among the top 10 in the country. www.tamu.edu.

Founded in 1826, ZSL is an international conservation charity, driven by science, working to restore wildlife in the UK and around the world; by protecting critical species, restoring ecosystems, helping people and wildlife live together and inspiring support for nature. Through our leading conservation zoos, London and Whipsnade, we bring people closer to nature and use our expertise to protect wildlife today, while inspiring a lifelong love of animals in the conservationists of tomorrow. www.zsl.org.