Showing 1 - 10 of 57
Three-year heatwave ‘bleached half the planet’s coral reefs’
AFP, Published on 10/02/2026
» PARIS - A study published on Tuesday showed that more than half of the world’s coral reefs were bleached between 2014 and 2017 — a record-setting episode now being eclipsed by another series of devastating heatwaves.
World's coral reefs crossing survival limit: global experts
AFP, Published on 13/10/2025
» PARIS - The world's tropical coral reefs have almost certainly crossed a point of no return as oceans warm beyond a level most can survive, a major scientific report announced on Monday.
Cook Islands wages war on 'plague' of hungry starfish
AFP, Published on 24/07/2025
» RAROTONGA (COOK ISLANDS) — Divers clutch wooden spears as they plunge beneath the waves, hunting hordes of hungry starfish destroying the coral reefs around the Cook Islands.
Coral reefs pushed to brink as bleaching crisis worsens
AFP, Published on 23/04/2025
» PARIS — An unprecedented coral bleaching episode has spread to 84% of the world's reefs in an unfolding human-caused crisis that could kill off swathes of the essential ecosystems, scientists warned Wednesday.
‘Unprecedented’ mass bleaching ruins Australian reef
AFP, Published on 26/03/2025
» SYDNEY - An “unprecedented” mass bleaching event has been recorded off Australia’s western coast, scientists said on Wednesday, turning huge swathes of a celebrated reef system a sickly dull white.
Volunteer divers guard Oman's 'unique' coral reefs
AFP, Published on 04/12/2023
» DAYMANIYAT ISLANDS (OMAN) - On a sailing boat anchored off Oman's pristine Daymaniyat Islands, volunteer divers pull on wetsuits, check their scuba tanks and then take turns plunging into the clear turquoise water.
World's oceans set new surface temperature record: EU monitor
AFP, Published on 05/08/2023
» PARIS - The world's oceans set a new temperature record this week, raising concerns about knock-on effects on the planet's climate, marine life and coastal communities.
Alarm as seawater heats up off Florida Keys, imperiling reef
AFP, Published on 29/07/2023
» SUMMERLAND KEY (UNITED STATES) - Super-heated seawater off the Florida Keys has grown so perilous to the world's third-largest barrier reef that scientists are now removing samples of coral from ocean nurseries to place in cooler land-based tanks.
UNESCO hails $2.9-bn Australian plan to protect Great Barrier Reef
AFP, Published on 06/06/2023
» PARIS - The UN's cultural agency UNESCO welcomed on Tuesday commitments from Australia to protect the Great Barrier Reef, with the government pledging 4.4 billion Australian dollars ($2.9 billion) to safeguard the natural wonder.
Two thirds of reef sharks and rays risk extinction: study
AFP, Published on 17/01/2023
» PARIS - Nearly two thirds of the sharks and rays that live among the world's corals are threatened with extinction, according to new research published Tuesday, with a warning this could further imperil precious reefs.