<
https://theconversation.com/we-all-know-the-great-barrier-reef-is-in-danger-the-un-has-just-confirmed-it-again-195551>
"You might be forgiven for thinking it’s Groundhog Day reading headlines about
the Great Barrier Reef potentially being listed on the World Heritage “in
danger” list. After all, there have been similar calls in 2012, 2013, 2014 and
2017.
Successive federal governments have lobbied hard to keep the largest coral reef
in the world off the high-profile list kept by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Only last year, former environment minister Sussan Ley jetted around the world
in a successful effort to stave off the inevitable, pointing to hundreds of
millions of dollars spent on issues such as water quality. The new minister,
Tanya Plibersek, also wants to avoid having the reef “singled out” in this way.
The question is, what does in-danger mean? Everyone knows the reef is in
trouble. An in-danger listing is not a sanction or punishment. Rather, it’s a
call to the international community that a World Heritage property is under
threat, requiring actions to protect it for future generations. In-danger
listing is not permanent, nor does it mean the Reef will be permanently removed
from the World Heritage list.
The reef faces a multitude of threats. The most significant threats are coral
bleaching worsened by climate change, poor water quality from land-based
runoff, and unsustainable fishing and coastal development. We already have
regulations to tackle many of them – but we need more effective enforcement to
ensure compliance."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
