Protecting Climate-Resilient Coral Reefs: A High-Level Commitment

Protecting Climate-Resilient Coral Reefs for a Sustainable Ocean Future.

On June 10th, 2025, at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), eleven countries endorsed the first global political commitment to protect climate-resilient coral reefs—those with the highest potential to withstand climate change and support the recovery of reef ecosystems. This commitment was launched at a high-level event co-convened by the Government of Papua New Guinea, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Coral Reef Rescue Initiative, and the Nature Conservancy, with support from key partners.

Recognizing that coral reefs are vital for marine biodiversity, coastal protection, food security, and cultural heritage, yet are increasingly threatened by climate change and human activities, the signatories commit to urgent, science-based, and measurable action to ensure their protection and long-term survival. The partnership now aims to gather more momentum with the goal to achieve government signatories from at least 31 countries with >90% of the world’s coral reefs by COP31 of the UNFCCC.

More about the event and access to the signed commitment: https://www.wcs.org/coralcommitment

The signatories commit to:
Integrate the conservation of coral reefs and related ecosystems into national biodiversity and climate strategies—such as National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and relevant development plans—ensuring alignment with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement.
Prioritize climate-resilient reefs within 30x30 commitments by identifying and protecting reefs most likely to persist and serve as recovery sources for the future.
Strengthen national coral reef action plans and monitoring systems, building on existing mechanisms to reduce local threats, measure progress, and guide adaptive management.
Enact and enforce policies to reduce land-based pollution, eliminate destructive and illegal fishing, and manage coastal development to minimize cumulative stress on reef ecosystems.
Mobilize financing and build capacity, with emphasis on community leadership, Indigenous and traditional knowledge, and technology transfer.
Partner with Indigenous people, local communities, and stakeholders to ensure that coral reef solutions are equitable, inclusive, and grounded in place-based stewardship.

By acting collectively and anchoring efforts in science, equity, and local leadership, the signatories commit to safeguarding coral reefs—especially those most resilient to climate change—as a foundation for marine biodiversity, climate adaptation, and human well-being for generations to come.