Curaçao's Coral Cover Has Plummeted from 50% to Just 5%

Coral reefs surrounding Curaçao have suffered a dramatic and alarming decline over the past five decades, according to a report from Extra Curaçao. In the 1970s, between 40 and 60 percent of the seafloor off Curaçao's coast was covered by living coral, but that figure has now fallen to approximately 5 percent. Both global and local developments have contributed to this sharp deterioration, though the article signals that a combination of worldwide environmental pressures and island-specific factors are at play. The collapse of coral cover represents a severe threat to Curaçao's marine biodiversity, as reefs support a wide range of sea life and underpin the island's dive tourism industry. The scale of the loss — more than 90 percent of former coral coverage — places Curaçao's reefs among the most degraded in the Caribbean. This trend mirrors a broader regional crisis affecting coral ecosystems across the Caribbean Sea, driven by rising ocean temperatures, bleaching events, pollution, and human activity.