Barrier Reef kept off 'in danger' list

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Camera IconA UNESCO committee in Fuzhou may declare the Great Barrier Reef an endangered world heritage site. Credit: AP

The Great Barrier Reef will not be listed as a World Heritage site "in danger" after a UNESCO committee agreed to delay any decision until 2023.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee met both virtually and in the Chinese city of Fuzhou to vote on the draft decision on Friday night AEST.

Federal politicians have lobbied against the proposal, fearing it would hurt the image of natural wonder which is one of the jewels of Australia's domestic and international tourism sectors.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley flew to several countries and gained enough support to override the listing recommendation, with 12 countries moving a motion to reconsider it in 2023.

Some federal MPs have suggested the decision to vote on the Reef's World Heritage status could be influenced by the Chinese government.

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The director and president of the 44th committee session, China's vice minister of education Tian Xuejun, rejected speculation that the listing proposal was related to politics.

"Australia, as a member state of the World Heritage Committee, should ... attach importance to the opinions of the advisory bodies and earnestly fulfil the duty of World Heritage protection instead of making groundless accusations against other states," he said on Sunday.

Tian said the Reef vote is based on data from Australia and recommendations from an advisory body.

The draft decision says Australia's long-term plan for the reef "requires stronger and clearer commitments, in particular towards urgently countering the effects of climate change".

Ms Ley told the virtual meeting on Friday night that downgrading the Reef's status before the committee had finalised its own climate change policy made no sense.

"Delegates, we ask only two things: time for experts to see first hand our commitment to the reef, its present condition and our management, and for the final climate policy to provide a consistent framework for addressing the impacts of climate change on all World Heritage properties."

Australia is required to send a progress report to UNESCO by February 2022, with a listing decision delayed until 2023.

Labor's shadow environment minister Terri Butler said the listing deferral was an indictment on the federal government and only a temporary reprieve.

"It was the Morrison government's failures on reef conservation and climate action that made Australia's Great Barrier Reef vulnerable to an 'in danger' listing," she said in a statement.

"Now the best the Morrison government has been able to achieve is kicking the can down the road."

Greenpeace said UNESCO's failure to declare the Reef in danger was a "missed opportunity to shine a light on the federal government's neglect of a natural wonder that remains at great risk due to the impacts of climate change".

Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO David Ritter said the government had abandoned its obligations to protect the Reef and the UNESCO decision was "a victory for one of the most cynical lobbying efforts in recent history".

"Jetsetting around the world, at great expense to taxpayers, to block a decision that would demand climate action is a slap in the face to all Australians who love and care about our beautiful Reef."

The Queensland government publicly backed the federal government's campaign.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the state government certainly wanted to see the Reef remain on the World Heritage register.

"There are billions of dollars of our economy, tens of thousands of jobs reliant, directly and indirectly, on the Great Barrier Reef, and so we do want to retain that recognition."

The Reef has been listed as a World Heritage Site since 1981.

with AP

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