October 26, 2026

SYDNEY - About 44 percent of reef-building coral species face an increased risk of extinction, with climate change-related heat stress as the main driver of population declines, new research finds.

Researchers from organizations including the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Queensland reassessed the status of 774 reef-building coral species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, updating a 2008 assessment, according to a summary of the study published recently on the Australian Science Media Center website.

Of the species assessed, 340 had a higher relative risk of extinction, including 33 critically endangered, 251 endangered and 56 vulnerable species. Heat stress over the next 30 years was the most important driver of risk for 93 percent of the species considered at high risk, according to the study published in Nature.

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https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202610/26/WS6ade6a42e4b06d4aa0564ae8.html