SMILING ON REEF

THE Far North’s tourism industry has breathed a collective sign of relief that the Great Barrier Reef will not have its World Heritage status downgraded.

The natural wonder has been left off UNESCO’s “in danger” list following a meeting of its World Heritage Committee in Krakow, Poland, on Wednesday night.

The committee voted to endorse the Federal Government’s Reef 2050 Plan, which lists a series of measures designed to protect and manage the ecosystem.

It follows back-to-back widespread bleaching events that have affected the marine park’s Far Northern and central sector, between Torres Strait and Townsville, since the summer of 2015-16.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland acting chairwoman Wendy Morris said a decision to list the Reef as “in danger” could have had major negative consequences for Cairns’ tourism industry.

“Two years of back-to-back bleaching, and Cyclone Debbie along the Reef, has been enormously challenging,” she said.

“But we have to recognise that we are best practice in so many of the things that we do.

“We’re a great example of think globally, act locally, not only through our tourism industry, but reef management and our science community.”

Reef and Rainforest Research Centre managing director Sheriden Morris said the non-listing recognised efforts to protect the natural attraction to date, but there was still more action needed.

“We could do more in (control of) Crown-of-Thorns starfish, because it’s a direct intervention that delivers us a successful outcome,” she said.

Cairns and Far North Environment Centre director Roz Walden said she was concerned the Reef 2050 plan did not adequately address the risks climate change posed to the natural asset.