Medical and Hospital News
WATER WORLD
UN weighs Great Barrier Reef reprieve for Australia
UN weighs Great Barrier Reef reprieve for Australia
by AFP Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) July 31, 2023

The UN's cultural agency UNESCO said Monday its experts recommended giving Australia more time to boost protection of the Great Barrier Reef which the organisation's World Heritage Committee has threatened to declare "in danger".

On the basis of progress made by Australia, the experts said the natural wonder's current state should not be discussed at this year's World Heritage Committee meeting in September in Riyadh, but instead be revisited in 2024.

However the experts, whose advice still needs to be approved by the Committee, said surveillance of the Reef would be strengthened and Australia needed to submit a progress report on the implementation of UNESCO's recommendations by February.

Climate change is threatening the Great Barrier Reef's ecosystem, causing severe bleaching and damaging its corals.

Since 2016, the Great Barrier Reef has been hit by three mass bleaching events, during which heat-stressed corals expel algae living in their tissues, draining them of their vibrant colours.

UNESCO said last month it welcomed Australia's commitments to protect the Reef, with the government pledging 4.4 billion Australian dollars ($2.9 billion).

The fate of the reef has been a recurrent source of tension between UNESCO and Australian authorities, with the World Heritage Committee threatening to put the world's largest coral system on a list of "in danger" global heritage sites.

Behind-the-scenes diplomacy and lobbying from Australia have avoided such a move and commitments from the Labour government of Anthony Albanese have drawn praise from the Paris-based organisation.

Albanese's centre-left government, which ended nearly a decade of conservative rule in May last year, has also blocked a planned coal mine because it would endanger the reef and has scrapped funding for two dams in Queensland.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the country's premier tourist drawcards and any inclusion on the in-danger list was seen as risking putting off international visitors.

UNESCO began a monitoring mission on the reef in March 2022 to assess whether the site was being adequately protected.

On Monday, UNESCO again stressed the Great Barrier Reef's "urgent conservation needs" which it said required "broad mobilisation".

It still remained "possible" to inscribe the Reef on the list of world heritage sites in danger, it warned.

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WATER WORLD
Alarm as seawater heats up off Florida Keys, imperiling reef
Summerland Key, United States (AFP) July 29, 2023
Super-heated seawater off the Florida Keys has grown so perilous to the world's third-largest barrier reef that scientists are now removing samples of coral from ocean nurseries to place in cooler land-based tanks. Sea temperatures off Florida have risen to extraordinary highs this month, presenting a severe threat to the barrier reef. "Hot water is not good for any marine organism, whether it be coral, fish or lobster. So we run the risk of having massive fish die offs, sea turtle die offs, thi ... read more

WATER WORLD
At least 11 killed, 27 missing in Beijing rainstorms

'Silk of peace' weaves new bonds in post-quake Turkey

Battling drug crisis, Iraq searches for cure

Spain court finds Swedish firm not liable for disaster costs

WATER WORLD
Potential earthquake precursor discovered through GPS measurements

Northrop Grumman's new airborne navigation system achieves successful flight test

Fugro and GomSpace deliver world class position and timing accuracy onboard LEO satellites

GMV to head up Galileo ground segment after securing a new contract

WATER WORLD
Indigenous chiefs demand action from Brazil govt on land rights

New insights into the origin of the Indo-European languages

Vibrating vests translate music for deaf concertgoers

Gullah Geechee, descendants of enslaved, fight to protect US island

WATER WORLD
Bangladesh major hub for tiger poaching; India's endangered tigers top 3,600

Protecting wildlife and restoring natural ecosystems

Wildlife lovers urged to join UK's annual butterfly count

Running wild: stray dogs threaten rare Balkan lynx

WATER WORLD
US widens blacklist of firms over Uyghur forced labor concerns

Croatia targets latest climate-change threat: mosquitoes

MIT researchers to lead a new center for continuous mRNA manufacturing

Moderna signs agreement towards making mRNA medicine in China

WATER WORLD
Hong Kong pollster to stop releasing surveys on Tiananmen, Taiwan

Hong Kong public broadcaster cancels LGBTQ radio show

'Happy Dancing' routine boosts fitness in fast-ageing China

Beijing taps veteran diplomat Wang to replace absent Qin

WATER WORLD
Report faults British government for 'dismal understanding' of Wagner threat

China tells Myanmar junta to 'root out' online scam groups

US sanctions Chinese, Mexican entities over drug equipment

Malaysia searches Chinese ship suspected of looting WWII wrecks

WATER WORLD
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.