The United Nations World Heritage Committee has officially kept the Great Barrier Reef off its list of sites “in danger”, but Australia remains under pressure to show it is doing enough to protect the reef from environmental harm.
UNESCO’s latest State of Conservation report last month recommended Australia be given more time to show progress on actions to protect the reef.
The World Heritage Committee accepted the draft recommendation at its meeting in Saudi Arabia overnight.
The federal and Queensland governments have welcomed the decision, which was expected, but accept there is more work to do to keep the reef off the in-danger list.
The list is used to highlight places that are facing the threat of losing the unique qualities that earned them World Heritage status in the first place.
Australia must submit a progress report to the World Heritage Centre by February 2024 to demonstrate what it is doing to address the health of the reef.
This includes action to meet commitments to reduce greenhouse emissions, consistent with global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, water quality improvements, and the phasing out of gillnet fishing.
UNESCO noted — “with utmost concern” — there had been four mass coral bleaching events since 2016, including an unprecedented event during a cooler La Niña period last year.
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the World Heritage Committee’s decision was “welcome news, but it wasn’t inevitable”.
Since being elected last year, the current federal government has increased the national emissions reduction target, and announced a $150 million package to improve water quality in the Great Barrier Reef.
The federal and Queensland governments have also announced a $160 million package to phase out the use of gillnets in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
(ABC)
