Coral reef commitments are largely absent from national biodiversity and climate frameworks

Global agreements under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) call for integrated action on biodiversity loss and climate change. Yet national implementation remains poorly understood, even for ecosystems highly vulnerable to warming, such as tropical coral reefs. Bleaching-level heat stress has affected over 85% of global reefs and likely impacted at least 97 of 101 reef-holding countries (Spady et al., 2025a), jeopardizing the benefits reefs provide for people and nature. We assessed how the 25 countries with the largest reef areas (“high-coral countries”) are translating global commitments into national strategies by analyzing National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and targets aligned with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), as well as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) under the Paris Agreement. As of August 2025, 71% of high-coral countries had submitted KM-GBF-aligned biodiversity targets, but none included measurable commitments for coral reefs. Only one country linked climate threats to quantitative Target 3 commitments, and just 8 of 25 referenced marine ecosystem action under Target 8. Under the Paris Agreement, fewer than half (48%) mentioned coral reefs in NDCs, and only three included measurable reef-related commitments; seven countries referenced reefs in NAPs, none with quantitative targets. These findings reveal a major disconnect between global ambition and national action, with coral reefs largely absent from operational planning. We propose three priorities to close this gap: (i) co-develop dedicated national coral reef strategies; (ii) elevate coral reefs within NBSAPs as biodiversity and climate-resilience priorities; and (iii) include measurable coral reef commitments within future NDCs and NAPs. Strengthening policy coherence across biodiversity and climate frameworks is essential to secure climate-resilient coral reefs and the communities that depend on them.