Environment News

IUCN Ecosystem Assessment 2026

November 10 , 2026 15 hrs 0 min 30 0

A study published under the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems classified all 13 South Asian coral reef ecoregions as Critically Endangered, considering future ocean warming and marine heat stress.
The study, titled Red List of Ecosystems Assessment of South Asian Coral Reefs, was co-authored by scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
The 13 ecoregions cover approximately 8,282.6 sq. km across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago, representing about 4% of the world's coral reef area.
India has four coral reef ecoregions: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, and Gulf of Kutch.
Based only on the previous 50 years of data, seven ecoregions were classified as Vulnerable, four as Endangered and two as Critically Endangered.
When projected marine heat stress over the next 50 years was included, all 13 ecoregions were classified as Critically Endangered.