WILLEMSTAD - A new Red List of endangered species was unveiled during the United Nations Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, marking the first update since 2008. This latest evaluation reassesses the status of all 892 reef-building coral species worldwide, including the 66 species found in the Caribbean, which are also present around Curaçao. Alarmingly, 19 of these species are so critically endangered that they face the risk of extinction throughout the Caribbean.
The assessment, conducted by a global team of coral experts, including researchers from Carmabi, highlights the precarious state of coral reefs. Climate change, overfishing, pollution, and coral diseases have led to significant declines in reef health worldwide. Curaçao’s reefs have historically been somewhat resilient, with areas still considered relatively healthy. However, the island has not been spared: in the past year alone, approximately 28% of Curaçao’s reefs were lost due to coral diseases such as Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) and rising sea temperatures.
When ocean temperatures exceed 30°C, corals expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues. This process, known as coral bleaching, strips corals of their vibrant colors and their primary food source, leaving them vulnerable to starvation and death.
Regional and Global Impact
The decline of coral reefs on other Caribbean islands has been even more severe. An extensive analysis of scientific studies tracking changes in Caribbean coral communities over time has enabled researchers to estimate the rate of species decline. The results, published in the journal PLoS ONE, reveal that 19 coral species in Curaçao are now classified as "critically endangered" on the Red List by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In addition to the critically endangered species, two species are listed as "endangered," and five are considered "vulnerable." These classifications indicate that these species are at significant risk of extinction. Ten additional species are expected to be added to the vulnerable or endangered categories in future assessments. For the remaining 30 species, there is currently no cause for concern, or insufficient data exists to determine their status.
Globally, 44% of reef-building coral species are now classified as threatened with extinction, underscoring the urgent need for conservation efforts.
Call for Action
The alarming state of Curaçao’s coral reefs highlights the broader ecological crisis facing marine ecosystems. As coral reefs play a vital role in biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal protection, their decline could have severe consequences for the island’s environment, economy, and communities. Scientists and policymakers stress the need for immediate action to combat climate change, reduce pollution, and invest in coral conservation initiatives to ensure the survival of these crucial ecosystems.
"It is clear that coral reef communities in the Caribbean are rapidly declining in health," says Mark Vermeij, head of the research department at CARMABI, who contributed to the evaluation for the new Red List status of all Caribbean coral species. "It is clear that many large coral species, which used to be common, are rapidly declining in many places. At the same time, other species are increasing. However, we see that coral growth, of any species, is occurring in areas with clean water and a healthy fish population. We will have to see what happens, but with our relatively healthy reefs, I believe we have an international responsibility to ensure that certain coral species do not go extinct in the Caribbean region. Again, as a small country, we can do little about the cause of climate change, but ensuring that reefs become more resilient to the effects of climate change by improving water quality and the number of algae-eating fish would be a good start."
Dr. Bert Hoeksema, a professor at the University of Groningen and Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands, was also involved in the study. "This is concerning news, but there are also bright spots. During my visits to Curaçao, I was often told that the government enforces policies that make it impossible to build a pier in the sea where coral species that are listed as 'critically endangered' on the Red List are found. There are quite a few of these species now, but at the same time, the Curaçao government has apparently been willing to take action to prevent further decline of these endangered species on the Red List. This does not happen in many other places."
At the United Nations Climate Conference in Baku, there was shock at the fact that double the number of coral species worldwide are now threatened with extinction, and there was hope that governments, in collaboration with scientists and other stakeholders such as large environmental organizations, would seriously address the global decline of coral reefs. This is especially important given the potentially large financial consequences due to declining fish catches and tourism revenues, which are often closely tied to the presence of healthy and functioning coral reef ecosystems.
