MSC Foundation supports new valuable research into coral species at risk of extinction

The MSC Foundation is supporting valuable new research by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species™ which has warned a staggering 44 per cent of reef-building coral species are at risk of extinction. The findings were announced today at the COP29 UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Speaking alongside IUCN Deputy Director General Stewart Maginnis and other esteemed panellists at the conference’s Global Corals Update, Daniela Picco, MSC Foundation Executive Director, outlined the Foundation’s support for this global assessment related to coral species and ecosystems, and incorporating the research into its grant-making and conservation efforts.

“This Global Coral Assessment raises the alarm for urgent collective action to stop the decline of coral reefs worldwide. The MSC Foundation is proud to partner with the IUCN Coral Red List team, who have done an exceptional job collecting the data to assess and report on the status of the world’s reef-building corals,” she said.

“The IUCN Red List guides our Foundation in making science-based philanthropic decisions, for lasting and impactful conservation efforts that contribute to preserving our planet. It will continue to be a vital resource for our family-led Foundation for generations.”

The research involves the assessment of the conservation status of 892 warm-water reef-building coral species and has revealed a hazardous trend of growing risk. In 2008, when corals were last assessed for the IUCN Red List, one-third were found to be threatened.

The assessment cites climate change and related warming events and severe bleaching events as the main threats to reef-building corals, accompanied by other threats like pollution, agricultural runoff, disease and unsustainable fishing. Reducing these threats, strengthening species’ resilience, and research into how corals can adapt to warmer waters are among the expert assessors’ recommended actions.

The Foundation’s work on the island of Ocean Cay in The Bahamas to grow resilient Critically Endangered Elkhorn Coral species at its open-water nursery gains new importance with this IUCN Red List assessment.

Professor David Smith, MSC Foundation Chief Scientific Advisor, said, “The latest global assessment brings troubling news for corals with more than 340 species now being considered at risk of extinction. Much work remains to be done to secure the future of these species and the vital reefs they form. An ocean without functioning coral reefs would be a bleak reality, highlighting the urgent need to find solutions to the climate crisis while simultaneously addressing today’s coral crisis.

The IUCN report highlights two key coral species that have been central to our collaborative research focused on identifying resilient coral genotypes enhancing the efficiency—and, by extension, the success—of restoration efforts designed to rebuild critical coral ecosystems.”

Through its Super Coral Programme and collaboration with off-site university partners since 2020, the 100% survivorship of nursery corals following recent warming events takes on new significance. The programme builds upon MSC Cruises’ multi-year restoration of Ocean Cay’s marine ecosystem, which began when the company started redeveloping the former sand-mining site in 2015.

To find out more about the IUCN’s research visit: Over 40% of coral species face extinction – IUCN Red List - Press release | IUCN.