'Lifeline' for coral at risk of rising sea temperatures
A study has revealed selectively breeding corals can enhance their tolerance, offering a short-term lifeline for reefs as ocean temperatures increase due to climate change.
Researchers from Minderoo Foundation, in collaboration with multiple universities, have successfully bred heat-tolerant corals at Ningaloo.
Ningaloo is a World Heritage-listed reef system off the Australian north-west coast that is under increasing threat from marine heatwaves and bleaching events.
The study found selectively bred coral with at least one "parent" from reefs in warmer oceans had double the survival rate under extreme heat stress, compared to corals from cooler waters.
It was the first successful demonstration of how selectively breeding corals could boost their tolerance to heat.
Researchers wanted to see if small temperature differences resulted in corals with enhanced heat tolerance, principal research scientist Kate Quigley said.
"Coral babies with at least one parent from the warmer reef exhibited significantly higher survival rates under heat stress," she said.
The study signalled a crucial tool to help reefs survive in the short term, Minderoo Foundation founder Andrew Forrest said.
"Of course, the only real and lasting solution to ending the destruction of coral reefs is the complete phase-out of fossil fuels," he said.
"Coral reefs support the livelihoods of millions of people globally, provide critical shoreline protection and support more than a quarter of the ocean's biodiversity, but have suffered steep declines globally."
In March 2025, World Heritage-listed reefs on either side of Australia bleached at the same time: Ningaloo in the west and the Great Barrier Reef in the east.
Mass global bleaching that began in 2023 has spread to at least 82 countries and territories, impacting almost 84 per cent of the world's reefs.
The study results come as the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) begins in Nice, in the south of France.
Environment Minister Murray Watt will attend - his first major international engagement since taking on the portfolio.
"Australia currently leads the world in the total area of ocean that is highly protected, but we want to go further," he said.
"One of the key items for discussion at UNOC3 is the ratification of the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty, which provides greater environmental protection for seas beyond national borders.
"At UNOC3, I will announce that Australia will introduce enabling legislation for the treaty in the spring sitting of parliament, with ratification of the treaty as soon as possible after that."
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