A new global report shows that an area of the ocean that includes Taiwan has
seen the steepest decline in living coral in East Asia in recent years.

The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network today released its "Status of Coral
Reefs of the World: 2025" report, linking the decline to increasingly
frequent coral bleaching events.

Bleaching happens when stressed corals lose the algae that give them their
color and help keep them alive.

Globally, the amount of seafloor covered by living hard coral was about 9.5
percent below the historical average ... between 2020 and 2024.

East Asia has fared relatively well, but coral cover fell during the latest
bleaching event, with waters around Taiwan particularly affected.

Taiwan researchers say shrinking recovery time between marine heatwaves is a
major concern, leaving corals less time to recover.

They are calling for more marine protected areas, tighter controls on coastal
development and tougher environmental enforcement.

(IG)