Reefs at Risk Revisited: Pacific

The Pacific contains over a quarter of the world's coral reefs, with nearly 50% currently affected by local threats such as overfishing and pollution. While the region has over 920 Marine Protected Areas covering 13% of its reefs, future climate change is projected to increase the proportion of threatened reefs to 90% by 2030 and nearly all reefs by 2050.

• The Pacific region contains nearly 66,000 sq km of coral reefs, representing more than a quarter of the global total. Approximately 7.5 million people, or 50% of the region's population, live within 30 km of these reefs, which are critical for local and export fisheries and tourism.
• The Pacific is the second least threatened region globally after Australia. Slightly under 50% of its reefs are affected by local threats—including coastal development, marine-based pollution, overfishing, and watershed-based pollution—with only 20% of those at high or very high threat levels.
• Overfishing is identified as the primary threat to reefs in the region, affecting densely settled areas around large islands and some smaller archipelagos in Micronesia. Watershed-based pollution affects 25% of all reefs, primarily on high islands.
• Climate change is expected to severely degrade reef status: the proportion of threatened reefs is projected to reach 90% by 2030, and by 2050, almost all Pacific reefs are rated as threatened, with over half at high, very high, or critical levels.
• Conservation efforts include more than 920 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covering 13% of the region's reefs, with a notable trend toward the growth of locally managed marine areas established by communities.

APA

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

Chicago

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

Wikipedia

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

BibTeX

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