Reefs at Risk Revisited: Pacific

This WRI fact sheet summarizes the 'Reefs at Risk Revisited' analysis for the Pacific region, detailing the extent of coral reefs, the human populations dependent on them, current local threats, and projected impacts of climate change through 2050.

• The Pacific region contains nearly 66,000 sq km of coral reefs, which accounts for more than a quarter of the global total. Approximately 7.5 million people, or 50 percent of the region's total population, live in coastal areas within 30 km of these reefs.
• The Pacific is the second least threatened region globally after Australia. Slightly under 50 percent of its reefs are affected by local threats—such as overfishing, coastal development, and pollution—with only 20 percent of those facing high or very high threat levels. Overfishing is identified as the primary threat.
• Threat levels increase significantly when accounting for thermal stress and future climate projections. Including past thermal stress raises the percentage of threatened reefs to over 65 percent. Projections indicate that 90 percent of reefs will be threatened by 2030, and by 2050, nearly all Pacific reefs will be threatened, with over half at critical, very high, or high levels.
• Conservation efforts in the Pacific include over 920 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covering approximately 13 percent of the region's reefs. There is a notable trend toward locally managed marine areas established by communities with support from governments or NGOs.

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} }