IUCN classes 96 per cent of shallow-water coral reef ecosystems as Critically Endangered

22 October 2026

The first global coral reef assessment under the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems finds that nearly every shallow-water coral reef ecosystem faces an extremely high risk of collapse by 2075, with 96% classified as Critically Endangered. It covers 127 tropical and subtropical ecoregions and 188,362 km2 of reefs. The Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Triangle, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System and the Red Sea reefs are all Critically Endangered. Heat stress from climate change is the most consistent threat, and the assessment uses an IPCC scenario of 2.7°C of warming by the end of the century. The Western Galápagos Islands are already classified as Collapsed since the 1982-83 El Niño. IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar said it is not too late for reefs to recover with decisive climate action.