China and Vietnam Are Driving Reef Destruction in the South China Sea

Claimants in the South China Sea have created thousands of acres of artificial land to support their competing claims, causing irreparable damage to the marine habitat and leading to calls for international legal action against environmentally destructive practices.

1. Commercial satellite imagery analysis has revealed that over 7,000 acres of coral reef has been destroyed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Taiwan through dredging and landfill. These activities cause irreparable and long-term changes to the overall structure and health of the reef. 
2. China has caused the most reef destruction, having buried roughly 4,648 acres of reef since 2013. Vietnam comes in second, having destroyed approximately 2,362 acres of reef, with a significant amount of dredging and landfilling activities having taken place in early 2024. 
3. This month, Manila announced plans to pursue a second legal challenge against Beijing over environmental destruction in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The Marcos administration has not yet decided whether to utilize the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the UN General Assembly, or another international venue entirely for their case. 

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