These images show the dire threat to the world's reefs, which hold some 25 percent of marine life.

You may never see them, but coral reefs are suffering along with the rest of our planet.

If we are serious about saving coral reefs and the many benefits they provide to wildlife and people, we must resist the temptation to engineer small platforms of land aimed solely at flexing geopolitical muscle. Instead, we must prioritize conservation and management actions that allow corals to thrive.