- Worst WA bleaching event on record - The 2024/25 marine heatwave was the longest, largest and most intense ever recorded in WA, with bleaching and mortality across 1,500 km and Ningaloo hit hard for the first time.
- Severe local impacts - marine life, tourism and cultural heritage threatened with bleaching and mortality at Ningaloo's Tantabiddi and Jurabi areas, the Rowley Shoals and Scott Reef.
- Climate change is the driver - AMCS calls for no new fossil fuel projects, stronger reef protections and investment in restoration.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has called for urgent climate action and stronger protection for Australia's reefs after scientists confirmed the most widespread coral bleaching event ever recorded in Western Australia, with Ningaloo Reef among the hardest hit.
A new report from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and other government agencies reveals the 2024/25 marine heatwave was the longest, largest and most intense on record for WA, bleaching coral reefs across 1,500 kilometres and killing corals at some sites at rates of more than 90 per cent.
AMCS chief executive, Paul Gamblin said:
"This is devastating news for Ningaloo, one of the most precious and spectacular marine ecosystems on the planet. For the first time, Ningaloo has been hit hard by heat stress. Places that had been refuges from bleaching - that had given scientists hope - have now been caught in the grip of climate heating.
"The vast scale of the impacts along WA's coastline and offshore reefs is hard to comprehend – this is unprecedented harm and needs an unprecedented leadership response from WA and federal governments.
"Governments must commit to ending new fossil fuel projects, ensure climate is a core consideration in nature law reform, and double down on building the resilience of our marine environment through strong protection and restoration.
"Bleaching at Ningaloo is not just a tragedy for the reef's marine life. It's a loss for the local communities who depend on it for tourism, for Traditional Owners who have cared for these waters for tens of thousands of years, and for all Australians who treasure this World Heritage icon.
"While our reefs and coastal communities suffer through unprecedented underwater heatwaves, fossil fuel executives are prowling the halls of power and splashing millions on glossy PR campaigns – all to pressure our elected representatives into approving mega-polluting projects that will make this crisis even worse. They even want to industrialise the ocean around Scott Reef – one of WA's spectacular reefs that has just suffered bleaching.
"This disaster is part of the ongoing fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event, driven by climate change. Around Australia, our reefs are being hit harder and more often, and they simply do not have time to recover between events.
"Ningaloo is a global treasure - a place where whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales share the water with turtles and technicolour coral gardens.
"We cannot allow climate change to strip our tropical and southern reefs of life. The science is crystal clear - every fraction of a degree matters, and the longer we delay action, the more we stand to lose," Mr Gamblin said.
