GREAT BARRIER REEF SHOULD BE ON ‘IN DANGER’ LISTǷUN PANEL
SYDNEY—Australia’s Great Barrier Reef should be listed as a world heritage site that is “in danger,” a UN panel recommended on Tuesday, saying the world’s biggest coral reef ecosystem was significantly impacted by climate change and warming of oceans.
Frequent bleaching events are threatening the reef, including four over the last seven years and the first during a La Nina phenomenon, which typically brings cooler temperatures, this year.
Bleaching happens when the water warms too much, causing corals to expel the colorful algae living in their tissues and turn white.
Corals are sessile animals that ‘take root’ on the ocean floor. They can survive a bleaching event but it can stunt their growth and affect reproduction.
“The resilience of the (reef) to recover from climate change impacts is substantially compromised,” a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) scientists, who visited the reef in March, said.
The report was expected to be released ahead of a meeting of the Unesco world heritage committee in June scheduled to be held in Russia but that was postponed due to the war in Ukraine. Dates for the next meeting have not been decided yet.
Though efforts to address climate change have ramped up recently, particularly research on coral restoration, “utmost urgency” is required to save the reef, the report said.
Canberra has lobbied for years to keep the reef—which contributes A$6.4 billion ($4.3 billion) to the economy—off the endangered list as it could lead to losing the heritage status, taking some shine off its attraction for tourists.
Prior to COVID-19, around 2 million tourists visited the reef located off Australia’s northeast coast every year, official data showed, providing jobs for 64,000 people.
Last year, Australia dodged an “in danger” listing for the reef after heavy lobbying by the previous government led Unesco to postpone a decision to this year.