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| The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest living structure. (Photo by= AFP/Sarah LAI) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] BRISBANE: Australia on Friday (Jul 23) 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, AFP reported.
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 recognizing 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 snorkeling trip.
