Bangkok, Aug. 8 (AP): Coral reefs in much of the Pacific Ocean are dying faster than previously thought, according to a study released today, with the decline driven by climate change, disease and coastal development.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill found that coral coverage in the Indo-Pacific -- an area stretching from Indonesia's Sumatra island to French Polynesia -- dropped 20 per cent in the past two decades.

About 966 square kilometres of reefs have disappeared since the 1960s, the study found, and the losses were just as bad in Australia's well-protected Great Barrier Reef as they were in poorly managed marine reserves in the Philippines.

"We found the loss of reef building corals was much more widespread and severe than previously thought," said John Bruno, who conducted the study along with Elizabeth Selig. "Even the best managed reefs in the Indo-Pacific suffered significant coral loss over the past 20 years."

The study found the declines date much further back than earlier estimated and mirror global trends. The United Nations has found close to a third of the world's corals have disappeared, and 60 per cent are expected to be lost by 2030.

The Indo-Pacific contains 75 per cent of the world's coral reefs and provide a home for a wide range of marine plants and animals.

They also provide shelter for island communities and are key source of income with some valued as high as USD 270,000 per square kilometre of reef, mostly from the benefits of fishing and tourism.