According to a UN report, the Great Barrier Reef should become “World Heritage in danger”. According to experts, the world’s largest coral reef is “critically threatened” by the effects of climate change. The natural wonder could soon be on the Red List.
Despite unprecedented advances in science and practical conservation measures in recent years, the reef is “significantly affected by factors of climate change,” said Eleanor Carter of the IUCN environmental organization and Unesco representative Hans Thulstrup.
The reef’s ability to recover from the effects of global warming has been “significantly impaired,” it said. The two experts therefore recommend placing the Great Barrier Reef on the list of endangered World Heritage Sites. In that case there is a risk that the reef will be removed from the Unesco list.
Carter and Thulstrup criticized Australia’s reef conservation strategy for lacking clear climate targets. In addition, some of the safeguards promised would not be fully implemented, particularly with regard to water quality and fisheries.
In January, the Australian government announced that it will invest a total of one billion Australian dollars (649 million euros) over the next nine years in measures to preserve the unique ecosystem. The organization Climate Council explained that this is like “putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg”.
Unesco declared the Great Barrier Reef a World Heritage Site in 1981. As early as 2015, UNESCO first considered classifying the coral reef as an endangered World Heritage Site. The Australian government prevented this at the time with a multi-billion dollar conservation plan. In July last year, the World Heritage Committee again decided not to designate the Great Barrier Reef as an endangered natural world heritage for the time being.
The huge reef, which can even be seen from space, is in increasing danger due to the warming of the ocean. Under difficult conditions, the corals shed the algae that cause the coloration and otherwise live with. In May, it was revealed that 91 percent of the reef’s corals had been damaged by coral bleaching caused by a long summer heat wave. Bleached corals can recover, but only if their living conditions improve.
Source: Krone
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