‘Silent extinction’ threatening Brazil’s fire corals, experts warn

A “silent extinction” is threatening Brazil’s fire coral population, according to a new study published in the journal Coral Reefs today.

Fire corals are critical reef-building organisms in Brazil that provide essential shelter and ecological complexity, often on hard-to-access reef edges.

The research reveals that recent extreme heatwaves have devastated the endemic species, leaving some on the brink of total collapse, but this damage had gone undetected.

The study draws from the Coral Vivo Institute’s monitoring of fire corals, which began after the first wave of bleaching severely affected Brazil in 2019. 

Monitoring was conducted before, during, and after the most recent bleaching event, which occurred during a heat wave in early 2024. The heatwave was a consequence of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon.

Fire corals have historically been neglected in monitoring efforts of this kind. In part, their position on reef edges which makes them difficult to access. 

Another factor influencing the limited attention given to them is the rarity of three of the fire coral species found in Brazil compared to “normal” corals.

But researchers from the Coral Vivo Institute and the University of São Paulo, warn that these organisms are just as vital, providing shelter and structure for marine life.