Reefsat Risk Human Pressure on the World’s Coral Reefs

This fact sheet from the World Resources Institute describes the threats facing global coral reefs, the socio-economic vulnerability of countries to reef loss, and the projected increase in threatened reefs if local and global pressures are not mitigated.

• More than 60 percent of the world's coral reefs are currently threatened by local human activities, including overfishing, destructive fishing, coastal development, and pollution from both land and sea.
• Global greenhouse gas emissions compound local pressures by causing ocean acidification, which weakens coral skeletons and slows growth, and coral bleaching, where corals expel symbiotic algae due to warming waters.
• If local and global threats are not addressed, the proportion of threatened coral reefs is projected to exceed 90 percent by 2030 and reach nearly 100 percent by 2050.
• Countries and territories vary in their vulnerability to reef loss based on their dependence on reef services, the level of threat, and their adaptive capacity. For example, the Philippines, Indonesia, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Tanzania, and Haiti are considered very highly vulnerable, while Australia and Japan have lower vulnerability.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Reefsat Risk Human Pressure on the World’s Coral Reefs. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/wri12_polypsinperil_poster_side2_lr.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Reefsat Risk Human Pressure on the World’s Coral Reefs. n.d. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/wri12_polypsinperil_poster_side2_lr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Reefsat Risk Human Pressure on the World’s Coral Reefs |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/wri12_polypsinperil_poster_side2_lr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendreefsat, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Reefsat Risk Human Pressure on the World’s Coral Reefs}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/wri12_polypsinperil_poster_side2_lr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }