Reefs at Risk Revisited: Australia

Australia possesses approximately 42,000 sq km of coral reefs, the largest amount of any single nation. While these reefs are the least threatened by local human pressures globally, they face severe risks from thermal stress, warming, and acidification, with projections suggesting over 95 percent of Australian reefs will be threatened by 2050.

• Australia has the largest amount of coral reefs of any single nation, totaling approximately 42,000 sq km, which represents 17 percent of the global total. The majority of these are located within the Great Barrier Reef, which covers nearly 37,000 sq km and extends over 2,300 km in length.
• Australian reefs are the least affected by local threats globally, with only about 15 percent impacted by stressors such as coastal development, overfishing, and pollution. Only about 2 percent of reefs are categorized as being under high or very high local threat.
• Climate change and thermal stress significantly increase reef vulnerability. When thermal stress is included in the model, over 40 percent of reefs are rated as threatened. Projections indicate that combined local and climate impacts will raise threat levels to nearly 90 percent by 2030, and more than 95 percent of Australian reefs will be rated as threatened by 2050.
• Conservation efforts are extensive, with approximately 75 percent of Australia's reefs located within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This includes 30,000 sq km within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. A 2004 re-zoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park increased strictly protected areas from 4 percent to 33 percent, which has positively influenced fish communities and ecological resilience.
• Australia has the lowest coastal population density of any region studied, with approximately 3.5 million people living within 30 km of a coral reef. Despite this, reefs provide significant economic value, with Great Barrier Reef tourism generating US$5.2 billion in 2006.

APA

World Resources Institute (2011). Reefs at Risk Revisited: Australia. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/factsheet_reefs_australia.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Reefs at Risk Revisited: Australia. 2011. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/factsheet_reefs_australia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Reefs at Risk Revisited: Australia |date=February 2011 |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/factsheet_reefs_australia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2011reefs, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Reefs at Risk Revisited: Australia}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2011}, month = feb, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/factsheet_reefs_australia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }