Australia’s Great Barrier Reef avoids Unesco ‘in danger’ list

THE Great Barrier Reef will not be recommended for inclusion on the “in danger” list this year by the United Nations’ (UN) world heritage body, even as it warned that the natural wonder is still under “serious threat” from climate change and agriculture.

In a draft decision released on Monday, Unesco said that progress by the Australian government on tackling carbon emissions and improving water quality in the Great Barrier Reef meant further evaluation was needed before the site was added to the UN’s List of World Heritage in Danger.

But the UN heritage body warned that “the property remains under serious threat” and said “urgent and sustained action to implement the priority recommendations of the mission is essential in order to improve the long-term resilience of the property.”

Australia has lobbied for years to keep the Great Barrier Reef – one of the best-known wonders of the natural world and a major asset to the country’s tourism industry – off Unesco’s “in danger” list.

However, four mass coral bleaching events between 2016 and 2022 have severely damaged the health of the reef, sparked by warmer ocean temperatures caused by climate change.

Repeated bleaching can leave the reef’s coral unable to recover from disastrous events and cause permanent, wide-scale damage. A UN monitoring mission sent to inspect the reef in March 2022 found not enough was being done to protect the site and recommended it be placed on the “in danger” list.

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Australia’s Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Tuesday (Aug 1) that she welcomed Unesco’s decision, saying it was the result of changed policies under the centre-left Labor government. Following taking office last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved to strengthen Australia’s action on climate change, including legislating emissions cuts of 43 per cent by 2030, from 2005 levels.

But the Greens Party says that more needs to be done to protect the reef. Greens Senator Larissa Waters said if the government was serious about avoiding carbon emissions and warmer oceans, Plibersek needed to stop approving new fossil fuel projects, including expanded coal mines. BLOOMBERG