Coral reef discovered within Ecuador’s Galapagos Marine Reserve

A scientific expedition has discovered a previously unknown coral reef with abundant marine life off Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands.

It’s the first discovery of its kind since the protected marine area was established in 1998.

Ecuador’s environment ministry said the newly discovered coral reef was found 400–600 meters (1,310-1,970 feet) below the surface of the water on top of a previously unmapped seamount in the central part of the archipelago.

The reef has more than 50% living coral and is supporting ample amounts of marine life, scientists said.

Scientists said that the Galapagos’ Wellington Reef, off the coast of Darwin Island, was initially thought to be among the few coral reefs to survive the 1982-1983 El Nino event.

This new finding, the environment ministry said, shows that coral communities in the protected waters have persisted for centuries and support rich, diverse and potentially unique marine populations.

In a statement translated from Spanish to English, Ecuador’s minister of the environment, water and ecological transition, José Antonio Dávalos, called the discovery encouraging news.

“This reaffirms our conviction to establish new marine protected areas in Ecuador and to continue promoting the creation of a regional one in the Eastern Tropical Pacific,” he said. “The still unexplored richness of the ocean depths is one more reason to strive to achieve the commitments of the Global Ocean Alliance’s 30×30 initiative.”

The objective for the initiative is that at least 30% of the world’s oceans be declared Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by the year 2030.