AUCKLAND, July 26 – Scientists have warned that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is at very high risk of extreme bleaching and potential “ecosystem collapse” due to the 2026 El Niño phenomenon. Stretching 2,300km along Queensland’s coast, the reef avoided being listed as endangered this month, despite UNESCO’s “utmost concern” over mass coral bleaching.
Great Barrier Reef
Marine ecologist Morgan Pratchett of James Cook University told the International Coral Reef Symposium in Auckland that the upcoming El Niño could trigger widespread species extinctions. The event is expected to be one of the strongest on record, raising ocean temperatures and altering global weather patterns.
Hard coral cover has already declined significantly after above‑average temperatures caused the reef’s sixth mass bleaching since 2016. Professor Ove Hoegh‑Guldberg of the University of Queensland warned that lack of government action threatens coral reefs worldwide, likening the crisis to “a sinking Titanic” requiring urgent lifeboat measures.
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