The coral reef ecosystem of China's Huangyan Island in the South China Sea has thrived despite the global coral bleaching crisis, according to a report published on Wednesday.
There are now 109 reef-building coral species recorded, a new peak in biodiversity in a region that recorded 64 such species in May 2015.
The average coverage of live reef-building coral is 28.6 percent, higher than the investigation results in 2015.
The species diversity of coral communities was relatively high, as the survey recorded 125 species of coral reef fish from 23 families on-site, along with other key species such as crustose coralline algae, giant clams, blue coral, fire corals and sea anemone.
The investigation revealed the excellent environmental quality of Huangyan Island, with seawater quality and marine sediment quality both rated as Grade I level.
The report, based on an on-site investigation conducted from May to June, was jointly published by five research institutes, including the South China Institute of Environmental Sciences and the National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center.
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