The reef still retains more coral cover than many reef systems globally and researchers say it is 'still worth fighting for.'

The Great Barrier Reef suffered its largest annual decline in live coral over the past year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Australian scientists monitoring the reef documented the devastating effects of a mass coral bleaching event that occurred in early 2024.

"The [Great Barrier Reef] experienced unprecedented levels of heat stress, which caused the most spatially extensive and severe bleaching recorded to date," the report found.