A recent study has uncovered a small area off the coast of Kenya and Tanzania harboring a vast array of ocean life. 

Diversifying the world’s portfolio of protected coral reefs is critical to safeguarding biodiversity for our oceans, says a 27-year study of Kenyan corals out now in the Journal of the International Coral Reef Society. Scientists emphasize that rather than continuing to protect the most charismatic and well-recognized corals and habitats, we must “spread our risk” by protecting a more diverse mosaic of reef habitats. Conserving uncommon coral varieties by establishing protected...

A recent expedition to Fiji’s largest two community protected areas, Namena Marine Reserve (88 km²) and Vatu-i-Ra Conservation Park (110.5 km²), shows that they are making an incredible recovery from the impact of a tropical cyclone in 2016.

A team of scientists have discovered that a large area in the Indo-Pacific known as the “Coral Triangle” is surprisingly resistant to thermal stress from climate change, making it a sanctuary for corals amid the ongoing climate crisis.

New findings uncovered by researchers at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the University of Queensland (UQ) demonstrate that logging activity in Solomon Islands is associated with lower coral cover and structural complexity on adjacent reefs, as well as lower abundance of many types of fish commonly caught for food and sold at markets.

MERMAID, an open-source tech platform for marine scientists, is for the first time launching an interactive map that provides an insider’s view of the ecosystem data collected from coral reefs by field scientists around the world. MERMAID (Marine Ecological Research Management AID) is a first of its kind free, online-offline platform that allows scientists anywhere in the world to collect, analyze, and share field-based coral reef surveys. Developed in partnership between the Wildlife Cons...

A new global study has found that only 2.5 percent of tropical reefs are formally protected and conserved through laws and regulations. These numbers are significantly lower than previous estimates, and highlight an urgent need for governments, communities, and partnering organizations to create and expand marine reserves to protect these ecosystems which support more than 500 million people worldwide.

Marine protected areas are one of the main tools to prevent the sharp decline in coral reefs being observed across the world. However, a recent scientific evaluation indicates some reefs in protected areas or far from human populations can still thrive, but only a small percentage can achieve the multiple goals of plentiful fish stocks, high fish biodiversity, high fish grazing, and well-preserved ecosystem functions.

A study of East African coral reefs has uncovered an unfolding calamity for the region: plummeting fish populations due to overfishing, which in turn could produce widespread food insecurity.

While many conservation plans focus on only environmental indicators for success, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)’s coral reef program is trying a relatively new approach: focusing on both social and ecological processes and outcomes to ensure a long-term future for coral reef systems, according to a newly published study.