Coral Diversity and Reef Health in the Solomon Islands - Conservation News

Exceptional Coral Species Richness and Current Threats

The Solomon Islands’ reefs rank among the world’s most diverse, but face pressures from starfish outbreaks and past bleaching.

Dr Charlie Veron (AIMS) and Emre Turak discovered that the Solomon Islands boasts one of the highest coral diversities globally, recording 494 species—including several new discoveries. This places the region second only to Raja Ampat, Indonesia, in coral variety. Most surveyed reefs were in good condition, but some sites suffered significant coral loss due to outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) and remnants of the 2000 bleaching event, particularly in the east. Damage from blast fishing was rare, indicating generally healthy reef systems, but ongoing threats remain.

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