Great Barrier Reef sharply declines in north but signs coral recovering elsewhere

Australian Institute of Marine Science says reef's capacity to recover under threat from climate change and pollution

Parts of the Great Barrier Reef not regularly affected by problems such as cyclones have demonstrated the reef still has the ability to regenerate, with a survey showing sharp declines in coral cover in the north but increases elsewhere.

However, the latest results from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (Aims), collected by divers visiting 243 individual reefs, do not include the losses caused by bleaching this year, or the effects of cyclone Debbie, both of which killed coral in the central section.