Saving the Coral Triangle’s Reefs
In 2023, we proudly expanded our conservation efforts into the Coral Triangle, a vital marine region spanning six countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste. This biodiversity hotspot is home to 76% of the world’s coral species and supports the livelihoods of millions through fishing, tourism, and coastal protection services.
Our initiatives in the Coral Triangle focus on combating threats including destructive fishing practices, habitat degradation, and the impacts of climate change. By working closely with local communities, governments, and partners, we aim to secure a sustainable future for these invaluable ecosystems.
A Biodiversity Hotspot
The Coral Triangle, known as the “Amazon of the Seas,” is crucial for global coral reef conservation, hosting over 76% of the world’s coral species and 37% of reef fish species. It supports the livelihoods of over 120 million people through fisheries and tourism, contributing an estimated $2.3 billion annually to local economies.
These reefs are integral to local culture, traditions, and ceremonies. Additionally, they provide vital environmental benefits, acting as natural barriers against storm surges and floods and maintaining marine ecosystem health.
An Ecosystem Under Threat
Despite their ecological and economic importance, the reefs of the Coral Triangle face numerous threats. Unsustainable fishing practices, pollution from coastal development, and climate change-induced coral bleaching pose significant risks to the health and resilience of these ecosystems.
In some areas, unsustainable fishing practices, such as blast fishing and cyanide fishing, continue to devastate coral reefs and fish populations. Meanwhile, coastal development and inadequate wastewater management contribute to sedimentation and pollution, further compromising reef health.
Our Work in the Coral Triangle
Climate REEFS Initiative
CORAL has joined the Climate REEFS initiative, a collaborative effort in the Philippines and Indonesia aimed at climate change adaptation for coral reefs and coastal communities. Led by a consortium of organizations including University of Leeds, Rare, and Pattimura University, this project integrates ecological, social science, and genomic research to identify adaptive reefs and enhance socio-economic resilience.
CORAL TRIANGLE Stories
2023 Year in Review, Ocean-Style
As we welcome in 2024 and anticipate the exciting developments ahead, let’s pause to reflect on the impact we made together in 2023. It was a year filled with significant achievements, insightful articles, and some fantastic new faces joining our team. We invite you to join us in revisiting the standout moments that made 2023… Continue Reading →
“Climate REEFS” Initiative Launched to Advance Equitable Pathways to Climate Adaptation in Asia Pacific
(OAKLAND, CA – November 10, 2023) Today, a consortium of universities, development agencies, and NGOs announced the launch of Climate REEFS, a collaborative project to advance socially equitable climate change adaptation for coastal communities that depend on coral reef resources in Indonesia and the Philippines. Climate REEFS is a project under the UK-Canada Climate Adaptation… Continue Reading →
Coral Reefs in a Changing Climate: Expanding to the Coral Triangle
Coral reefs are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, providing critical habitat for countless species of fish, invertebrates, and other marine life. Unfortunately, coral reefs are also highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, and more frequent and intense storms. This has led to a… Continue Reading →
Research Shows the Importance of Hot Reefs
New results from our pioneering research show that protecting reefs that thrive in warmer waters may be key to helping evolution rescue reefs from the effects of climate change. For the last several years, we’ve been leading research funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and other funders to understand how we can best… Continue Reading →
Partnering for Change to Save Coral Reefs
By Dr. Madhavi Colton At CORAL, our mission is Saving the World’s Coral Reefs. That means finding a solution to the biggest threat facing corals today- climate change. Troubled by warming ocean temperatures and mass coral bleaching events, we launched the Modeling Adaptation Potential (MAP) Project in 2016 to ask a critical question: Can… Continue Reading →
CORAL Study Published in Nature Climate Change
In a pioneering peer-reviewed study, scientists from the Coral Reef Alliance demonstrate that coral reef management that takes evolution and adaptation into account can help rescue coral reefs from the effects of climate change. The study titled, “Management for network diversity speeds evolutionary adaptation to climate change” is the result of the collaborative… Continue Reading →
Bleaching on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
A plane flies low over a turquoise sea off the coast of Queensland in northern Australia. Below lies the largest reef in the world: the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). At first, I think—or maybe it’s hope—that the white patches are boulders or cresting wavelets. But as the plane flies on, their true identity becomes undeniably… Continue Reading →
More People, More Trash
By Naneng Setiasih, Coral Triangle Regional Manager The small-fishing village of Tulamben in Bali struggled with poverty for decades, but that changed with a series of unfortunate events a few decades ago. The USS Liberty beached along its rocky shore after being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942. And in 1963 the eruption of… Continue Reading →
Nyoman Sugiarta…Where Is He Now?
Since winning the CORAL Conservation Prize a few months ago, Nyoman Sugiarta has been putting his prize money back into protecting his community’s coral reefs. Nyoman won $20,000 on September 20, 2014 as the first ever CORAL Conservation Prize winner. So what is he doing now? He recently quit his job as villa caretaker and… Continue Reading →
Protecting Manta Rays—and Marine Biodiversity
Talking about marine biodiversity means talking about Indonesia, says CORAL Triangle Regional Manager Naneng Setiasih: the largest archipelago in the world with 17,500 islands, Indonesia also has the highest marine biodiversity in the world, including migratory species like the manta ray. Indonesia recently declared three million square kilometers of its seas as a manta sanctuary.… Continue Reading →
