Philippines Launches Coral Larvae Cryobank

In October 2025, the Philippines is set to host Southeast Asia’s first coral larvae cryobank, as part of a regional effort to protect and restore the Coral Triangle, one of the world’s richest but most threatened marine ecosystems.

The Coral Triangle, spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste, is home to over three-quarters of the world’s coral species, a third of all reef fish, vast mangrove forests, and six of seven marine turtle species, sustaining livelihoods and food security for over 120 million people.
Climate change, rising carbon emissions, destructive fishing, and pollution are driving coral bleaching, habitat loss, and species decline, placing both biodiversity and coastal communities at grave risk.
According to the Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2020 report, 14% of global corals were lost between 2009 and 2018, and scientists warn that 70–90% of live coral cover could disappear by 2050 if global warming exceeds 1.5⁰C.
The cryobank, established by the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute, will freeze and preserve coral larvae at very low temperatures, enabling future restoration of damaged reefs while protecting genetic diversity.