Study identifies climate-resilient reefs worldwide, calls for better protection

NBetimes 165,922 sq km of precious coral reefs  crosswise 71 countries and 100 territories  feature the strongest potentiality to survive the climate crisis, according to a Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Macquarie University study launched in Kenya on Tuesday.The study, with the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative’s support, presented at the ‘Our Ocean Conference, builds on the original 50 reefs assessment published in 2018, the first global effort to identify the coral reef systems most likely to withstand climate change and serve as priorities for conservation action.Expanding on its foundation, the new study has identified three times more climate-resilient reef areas across 30 additional countries and 54  territories and jurisdictions, revealing a far greater opportunity for coral reef persistence than previously understood. Only 28% of identified climate-resilient reefs fall within protected or conserved areas, the study found.“This is a significant breakthrough in our understanding of coral reef resilience. Coral reefs are often framed as ecosystems beyond saving, but this research shows that there is a global set of reefs that have the potential to survive and recover from the climate crisis,” said WCS Coral Conservation director and the study co-author Emily Darling, calling for protection of these reefs.The study found that over half (61%) of these identified climate-resilient reefs are concentrated in Australia, the Bahamas, Cuba, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In June 2025, Australia, the Bahamas, and Indonesia signed the High-Level Commitment on Climate-Resilient Coral Reefs to protect them.The new research identifies new areas of climate-resilient reefs in the Caribbean, Pacific, and the Indian Ocean, including in Belize, Panama, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, that earlier global 50 reef assessments had not recognised.An interactive map, depicting such reefs, shows the presence of such climate-resilient reefs between India and Sri Lanka in the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, across the Lakshadweep, in the Gulf of Kutch along Gujarat, and some along the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.Researchers have identified three distinct pathways through which reefs can persist in a warming world. Some reefs act as “avoidance refugia” and are located in rare ocean “cool spots” where local conditions shield corals from extreme heat and provide refuge from warming trends.Others were classified as “resistance refugia”, where corals have developed adaptations that enable them to withstand heat stress, bleaching, and other climate impacts that would damage less resilient reef systems.A third group has been classified as “recovery refugia”, reefs which can rebound rapidly after disturbances such as bleaching events, cyclones or storms, rebuilding coral cover and ecological function faster than surrounding reef systems.Nearly one billion people depend on coral reefs for food security, livelihoods, and coastal protection. Water pollution from sewage, agricultural run off, and sediment loss, unsustainable fishing practices, and poorly managed tourism and coastal development continue to accelerate reef decline worldwide.The study said only around 28% of identified priority reefs currently fall within protected or conserved areas, leaving more than 119,000 km² outside existing conservation frameworks. “Many existing marine protected areas also continue to face significant challenges around funding, enforcement, and long-term management capacity,” the study said.Kyle J A Zawada, the study’s lead author from Macquarie University, said the world’s coral reefs are facing an unprecedented crisis, with the risk of irreversible changes to coral ecosystems. “But there is still hope. Our work identifies pockets of resilience where reefs may withstand and recover from disturbance. By safeguarding these resilient reefs, we can help push back against declines driven by local human pressures and climate change.”Zawada said these reefs could act as living seed banks for wider ecosystem recovery, helping to ensure that future generations inherit living, functioning coral reefs and not just degraded versions of what they once were.