Global endangerment of reef-building coral species is an ecological wake-up call

In November 2024, at the COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species showed that 44% of the world’s reef-building coral species are at risk of extinction. This grim data shows that human activities such as climate change, overfishing and marine pollution are seriously threatening the marine ecological balance. As an important cornerstone of the marine ecosystem, the endangered status of reef-building corals will trigger a chain reaction, affecting the survival of many marine organisms and the economic development of coastal areas. Protecting reef-building corals has become an urgent task for global ecological protection, and requires the joint efforts of all countries to take effective measures to deal with the current crisis and safeguard the marine ecological environment.