UNESCO's Call To Label Australia's Great Barrier Reef 'In Danger' Rejected - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2021) Australia's lobbying efforts succeeded in preventing its Great Barrier Reef from being included on the list of endangered World Heritage sites, as requested by UNESCO, media reported on Friday.

The Guardian said that the World Heritage Committee ignored UNESCO's scientific assessment, in which it called on Australia to urgently address the impact of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef and in the meantime include the marine wonder on the "In Danger" list.

Instead, the 21-country committee will reportedly tell UNESCO to carry out a mission to the 1,400-mile reef in the coming months, and Australia to send a progress report to the UN agency by February 2022, which is much sooner that the December 2022 deadline set in the scientific assessment.

According to reports, not listing the Great Barrier Reef as endangered was a result of lobbying efforts of Australian Environment Minister Sussan Ley, who toured the decision-making countries prior to the Friday session.

If the Great Barrier Reef ends up on the list, it would mark the first time that a natural World Heritage Site is designated as "in danger" primarily due to the impact of climate change. The world's largest reef was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1981.