On Friday 29 May, the World Heritage Centre, the advisory body to UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, has not recommended that the Great Barrier Reef be inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger at this time and with certain specified conditions.

World Heritage Centre Draft Decision

The draft decision from the World Heritage Centre has proposed that the Committee:

• Note the long term outlook for the Reef is poor (as per the GBRMPA Outlook Report) and the significant role of climate change in this
• Not place the Reef on the endangered list at this time
• Welcomes the Long Term Sustainability Plan for the Reef (LTSP) and the associated targets
• Welcomes the change in approach regarding dumping at Abbott Point
• Ask Australia to report again in December 2016 and 2019 on progress against the LTSP
• Recommends that if, in its opinion sufficient progress has not been made by December 2016 that it review the Reef again in 2017
• Otherwise, it wishes to review again in 2020 based on the next report and the 2019 GBRMPA Outlook Report for the Reef

To read the full text of the decision Click here...

Background

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef ecosystem on earth and one of the best managed marine areas in the world. At 348,000 km², the Reef is one of the richest and most diverse natural ecosystems on Earth.

The unique qualities of the Great Barrier Reef were recognised in 1981 when it was inscribed on the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee.

In 2012, the World Heritage Committee indicated a series of concerns about the health of the Reef and requested a number of actions and reports be prepared by Australia in response. These included:

• the nature of the threats to the reef,
• what the Australian Government is doing to improve the resilience of the reef, and
• how the Outstanding Universal Value of the property is being managed and protected.

The World Heritage Committee’s role

The World Heritage Committee meets once a year, and consists of representatives from 21 countries (membership rotates). It examines reports on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties and asks States Parties to take action when properties are not being properly managed. It also decides on the inscription or deletion of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

At its last four sessions, the World Heritage Committee has considered the state of conservation of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

In its decisions, the Committee has requested that the Australian Government undertake a range of measures to ensure that the Outstanding Universal Value of the property is not compromised.

What happens next?

The 39^th session of the World Heritage Committee convenes from 28 June to 8 July in Bonn, Germany.

The report of the World Heritage Centre about the Great Barrier Reef will be considered at this meeting and the Committee will then issue its decision and recommendations.

In the interim, delivery of the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments’ Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan (Reef 2050 Plan) remains a priority. The work of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation is directly aligned to the goals of the Reef 2050 Plan.

The Foundation will release further updates around the World Heritage Committee’s decision as information becomes available.

Who’s on the World Heritage Committee?

The 21 States Parties currently represented on the World Heritage Committee are:

Algeria, Colombia, Croatia, Finland, Germany, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Serbia, Turkey, Vietnam.