The Great Barrier Reef has avoided inclusion on a global list of in-danger sites, but an expert says this does not reflect the reality of a reef in “dire straits.” The World Heritage Committee on July 25 night accepted draft recommendations to exclude the reef from its in-danger list for the third consecutive year. It noted a “step change” in Australia’s approach to climate change and marine management even as the world’s largest living structure experienced its fifth mass bleaching event in eight years during the 2023-24 summer.
University of Queensland marine studies professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg labelled it a political decision designed to take pressure off governments. “The reef is in dire straits,” he told AAP. “I am appalled by today’s decision, which has sent the false message that the Great Barrier Reef is somehow not ‘in danger’.
“This is clearly a case of political convenience trumping science.” The committee has urged the government to take further action and said it was clear the reef “remains under serious threat.” “Urgent and sustained action is of utmost priority in order to improve the resilience of the property in a rapidly changing climate,” its decision read.
Reductions in both sediment and dissolved inorganic nitrogen are needed to improve water quality. Significant rates of native vegetation clearing in reef catchment areas are also a threat. The federal government has legislated targets to reduce carbon emissions by 43 .