- The World Heritage Committee will consider whether to include the Great Barrier Reef on UNESCO’s list of endangered sites.
- A spokesperson for Environment Minister Sussan Ley said that it is too early to predict the outcome of the meeting.
- UNESCO stated in its draft recommendations that Australia has failed to meet key water quality and land management goals.
After high-level Australian lobbying to stop the move, the World Heritage Committee will consider on Friday whether to include the Great Barrier Reef on the UNESCO list of endangered sites.
The United Nations Cultural Organization recommended in June to downgrade the status of the Great Barrier Reef as a World Heritage Site because the number of corals has dropped sharply, mainly due to the effects of climate change and poor water quality.
The Great Barrier Reef-the world’s largest biological structure-was added to the list in 1981, and Australia strongly opposes listing it as “in danger” for fear that it will deter tourists.
After Canberra lobbying for the whirlwind — including leading the main ambassador on a coral reef snorkeling trip — this week, 12 of the 21 member states of the committee proposed to postpone the decision until 2023.
A spokesperson for Environment Minister Sussan Ley said that although it is too early to predict the outcome of the meeting, “Australia welcomes the support it has so far received from multiple countries”.
“The twelve countries that jointly proposed amendments in a process usually decided by consensus are of great significance.”
The decision has been postponed from 2015, when Australia successfully launched a similar diplomatic campaign and pledged to invest billions of dollars in coral reef protection.
However, this 2,300-kilometer-long ecosystem has since experienced three large-scale coral bleaching events, which are caused by rising ocean temperatures due to global warming.
Although government scientists say corals have shown signs of recovery in the past 12 months, they acknowledge that the long-term prospects for coral reefs are still “very bad.”
In addition to coral bleaching, coral reefs are also susceptible to damage from hurricanes and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, which can eat corals.
In its draft recommendation, UNESCO stated that Australia has failed to achieve key water quality and land management goals, while also addressing the country’s lack of effort in climate.
Canberra is facing increasing international criticism for refusing to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
The conservative government stated that it hopes to achieve its goal “as soon as possible” without harming the country’s fossil fuel-dependent economy.
Australian Marine Conservation Association activist David Cazurino said he hopes that international reviews will prompt the government to take decisive climate action regardless of the committee’s decision.
He told AFP: “In Australia, we have invested a lot of energy.”
“The coral reef is so beautiful, so popular, it employs so many people, we just want to take action.”
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