Wildlife

Wild Coral Reef Bleaching and Marine Animal Welfare

Mass coral bleaching events driven by climate change devastate reef ecosystems and the animals within them.

Key Facts

50% of the world's coral reefs have been lost since the 1950s
Mass bleaching events now occur every 3-5 years instead of every 25-30 years
The Great Barrier Reef has suffered unprecedented bleaching since 2016
Coral reefs support 25% of all marine species

Welfare Considerations

Marine animals dependent on coral reefs — fish, invertebrates, sea turtles, sharks — lose shelter, foraging habitat, and breeding grounds when reefs bleach and die. Fish forced from degraded reefs into suboptimal habitat experience nutritional stress, increased predation, and reproductive failure. The welfare of millions of individual animals is directly linked to coral reef health.

What You Can Do

Reduce your carbon footprint to address the root cause of bleaching
Support coral reef restoration and monitoring organisations
Choose reef-safe sunscreen when visiting marine environments
Advocate for the strongest possible emissions reduction policies