Issued on: 23/07/2021 -
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest living structure Sarah LAI AFP/File
Brisbane (Australia) (AFP)
Australia on Friday avoided having the Great Barrier Reef listed as an endangered world heritage site by UNESCO, despite concerns about climate change-fuelled damage to the ecosystem's corals.
At a World Heritage Committee meeting chaired by China, delegates voted not to downgrade the reef to "in danger", after a concerted lobbying effort by Canberra.
"May I sincerely thank the esteemed delegates for recognising Australia's commitment to protecting the Great Barrier Reef," Australia's Environment Minister Sussan Ley said in a statement to the body.
The United Nations' cultural agency had recommended in June that the reef's World Heritage status be downgraded because of its dramatic coral decline, largely due to the impacts of climate change and poor water quality.
Tim Badman, director of the agency's World Heritage Programme, argued that the reef "unambiguously" met the criteria for an endangered listing.
"Despite the major efforts that have been made by the state party, both the current status of the outstanding universal value of the Great Barrier Reef and the prospects for future recovery have significantly deteriorated," he said.
Ley had flown to Paris earlier this month to personally lobby member states on the committee, while Australia also took key ambassadors on a reef snorkelling trip.
The decision had already been postponed from 2015, when Australia successfully waged a similar diplomatic campaign and committed billions of dollars to reef protection.
But the 2,300-kilometre-long (1,400-mile-long) ecosystem has since suffered three mass coral bleaching events, which are caused by rising ocean temperatures due to global warming.
Though government scientists say corals have shown signs of recovery in the past 12 months, they admit the reef's long-term outlook remains "very poor".
Two thirds of the reef is believed to have been damaged in some way.
As well as coral bleaching, the reef is also susceptible to damage from cyclones and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish, which eat the coral.
UNESCO had accused Australia of failing to meet key water quality and land management targets, while also taking aim at the country for its lacklustre climate efforts.
Canberra is facing growing international criticism for refusing to commit to net zero emissions by 2050.
The conservative government has said it hopes to meet the target "as soon as possible" without harming the country's fossil fuel-reliant economy.
But World Heritage Committee members -- including China, Russia and Saudi Arabia -- agreed Australia should have more time to report on its reef conservation efforts.
The delegates also asked UNESCO to send a monitoring mission to inspect the reef, after Canberra criticised the agency for relying on existing reports to make its recommendation.
© 2021 AFP
Brisbane (Australia) (AFP)
Australia on Friday avoided having the Great Barrier Reef listed as an endangered world heritage site by UNESCO, despite concerns about climate change-fuelled damage to the ecosystem's corals.
At a World Heritage Committee meeting chaired by China, delegates voted not to downgrade the reef to "in danger", after a concerted lobbying effort by Canberra.
"May I sincerely thank the esteemed delegates for recognising Australia's commitment to protecting the Great Barrier Reef," Australia's Environment Minister Sussan Ley said in a statement to the body.
The United Nations' cultural agency had recommended in June that the reef's World Heritage status be downgraded because of its dramatic coral decline, largely due to the impacts of climate change and poor water quality.
Tim Badman, director of the agency's World Heritage Programme, argued that the reef "unambiguously" met the criteria for an endangered listing.
"Despite the major efforts that have been made by the state party, both the current status of the outstanding universal value of the Great Barrier Reef and the prospects for future recovery have significantly deteriorated," he said.
Ley had flown to Paris earlier this month to personally lobby member states on the committee, while Australia also took key ambassadors on a reef snorkelling trip.
The decision had already been postponed from 2015, when Australia successfully waged a similar diplomatic campaign and committed billions of dollars to reef protection.
But the 2,300-kilometre-long (1,400-mile-long) ecosystem has since suffered three mass coral bleaching events, which are caused by rising ocean temperatures due to global warming.
Though government scientists say corals have shown signs of recovery in the past 12 months, they admit the reef's long-term outlook remains "very poor".
Two thirds of the reef is believed to have been damaged in some way.
As well as coral bleaching, the reef is also susceptible to damage from cyclones and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish, which eat the coral.
UNESCO had accused Australia of failing to meet key water quality and land management targets, while also taking aim at the country for its lacklustre climate efforts.
Canberra is facing growing international criticism for refusing to commit to net zero emissions by 2050.
The conservative government has said it hopes to meet the target "as soon as possible" without harming the country's fossil fuel-reliant economy.
But World Heritage Committee members -- including China, Russia and Saudi Arabia -- agreed Australia should have more time to report on its reef conservation efforts.
The delegates also asked UNESCO to send a monitoring mission to inspect the reef, after Canberra criticised the agency for relying on existing reports to make its recommendation.
© 2021 AFP
By Colin Packham
Posted on July 23, 2021
FILE PHOTO: Assorted reef fish swim above a staghorn coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia
CANBERRA (Reuters) – The Great Barrier Reef will not be added to a list of World Heritage Sites that are “in danger” after a UN panel on Friday agreed to defer a vote until 2022 amid intensive lobbying by Australia.
A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) committee last month recommended the Great Barrier Reef be classified as “in danger”, drawing an angry response from Australia.
Desperate to avoid a politically embarrassing classification for a tourist attraction that draws about 5 million people each year and supports nearly 70,000 jobs – Australia’s Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley travelled to more than a dozen countries in recent weeks to secure support.
Speaking ahead of the decision, Ley assured the 21-country panel that Canberra was committed to tackling climate change, one of the key factors in the initial recommendation.
“Every Australian is heavily invested in the protection of our barrier reef,” Ley told the virtual meeting.
Shortly afterwards committee members agreed to an amendment that would require Australia to produce an updated report on the state of the reef by February 2022 when a vote could follow on whether to classify the site as in danger.
Environmental groups criticised the decision.
“This is a victory for one of the most cynical lobbying efforts in recent history,” said David Ritter, chief executive officer of Greenpeace Australia.
“This is not an achievement – it is a day of infamy for the Australian government.”
Australia’s reliance on coal-fired power makes it one of the world’s largest carbon emitters per capita, but its conservative government has steadfastly backed fossil fuel industries, saying tougher action on emissions would cost jobs.
(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
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