Australia's Great Barrier Reef avoids 'in danger' listing

SYDNEY: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a major tourism drawcard, has avoided being listed as endangered despite the United Nations reporting “utmost concern” about mass coral bleaching and the impact of climate change.

Canberra welcomed on Saturday the draft decision by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to maintain the World Heritage status of the 2,300-kilometre-long (1,426-mile) reef stretching along the coast of Queensland state.

UNESCO has been monitoring the reef annually since 2021, when it warned it was at risk of being placed on the list of World Heritage items “in danger”.

The UN agency said in its draft report, released in Paris on Friday, that Australia was working towards addressing concerns over climate change, water quality, sustainable fisheries management and land clearing.

Hard coral cover across the reef declined substantially in 2024-2025, with above-average water temperatures causing the reef’s sixth mass coral bleaching event since 2016.

Extreme weather, land-based run-off, coastal development and predation by the Crown of Thorns starfish were also placing the reef under pressure.

“Whilst the resilience of the reef remains evident, its capacity to tolerate and recover from such events is increasingly compromised, and this is of utmost concern,” UNESCO said.

Australia changed its laws last year to tighten restrictions on clearing native vegetation in the reef catchment, but UNESCO called for tougher measures on dredging and over-fishing.

Australian Marine Conservation Society campaign manager Lissa Schindler said “significant gaps remain” in Australia’s response to the reef’s key threats.

“It contributes Aus$9 billion (US$6.9 billion) to the economy every year and is the nation’s fifth biggest employer, supporting 77,000 jobs. We shouldn’t need UNESCO to tell us we need to do more to protect it,” she said in a statement.

Assistant Tourism Minister Nita Green said UNESCO’s decision “recognises all of the work that Australia has been doing to manage those risks but also recognises that climate change will continue to be a risk to the reef”.

Australia is required to provide another progress report in 2028.

“This is the first time in quite a few years since we’ve been working to restore the Great Barrier Reef under this government that we’ve had such an extensive reporting period put to us,” Green said.