The choices the Australian government makes in the next 12 months will decide the Great Barrier Reef’s fate, say the Australian Marine Conservation Society, following the release of the Long Term Monitoring Program report today by the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
According to the AIMS report, the Great Barrier Reef has suffered the largest annual declines in coral cover in two of its three regions since monitoring began in 1986.
Coral cover plummeted by about a quarter in the northern region (Cape York to Cooktown), almost 14 per cent in the central region (Cooktown to Proserpine), and nearly a third in the southern region (Proserpine to Gladstone), the largest annual decline ever recorded there.
For the first time, substantial bleaching impacts were recorded in the southern Reef, showing that almost the entire system has been hit hard, not just isolated areas.
The Reef has now endured five mass bleaching events since 2016 – including back‑to‑back events in 2024 and 2025 – a clear sign that climate change is overwhelming the Reef’s ability to recover.
This devastating update comes just days after the Climate Change Authority warned that the Reef cannot survive without urgent climate action. It also comes as the Australian Government decides its 2035 emissions reduction targets – with a 90 per cent cut critical to protecting the Reef.
UNESCO has given Australia until February 2026 to improve Reef protection policies or risk a World Heritage ‘In Danger’ listing.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) is urging the federal government to:
- Commit to at least a 90% cut in emissions by 2035.
- End approvals for new coal and gas projects.
- Tackle local threats including water pollution, deforestation in reef catchments and coral harvest.
Devastating
Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) Great Barrier Reef Campaigns Manager Dr Lissa Schindler said, ‘For those of us who dived on the Reef during the 2024 bleaching event, we knew it was devastating. Now the data confirms just how bad it was.
‘The most alarming finding is the pattern – the Reef is lurching from record highs to record lows – a hallmark of an ecosystem in crisis.
‘As custodians of the Reef and one of the wealthiest nations on Earth, Australia has both the responsibility and the ability to lead on climate action.
‘Yet, we remain among the world’s highest per capita carbon polluters, and we’re still approving new coal and gas projects. That must stop,’ said Dr Schindler.
‘The Federal government is currently setting its 2035 climate targets – a decision that will define the future of the Great Barrier Reef and Australia’s role in the unfolding climate crisis. Australia must commit to an emissions reduction of 90 per cent by 2035, in line with the science to give our Reef a chance for the future.
‘They must also commit to addressing local threats like reducing water pollution, phasing out coral harvest for the aquarium trade, and finalising the gill net fishing ban by 2027.
‘The Reef’s future is still in our hands, but the choices Australia makes in the next 12 months will decide its fate,’ said Dr Schindler.
‘We must act now – for the Reef and for future generations.’
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
