World Heritage Committee News

A heritage committee of the UNESCO cultural agency stopped short of placing Australia's Great Barrier Reef on an "in danger" list, but the ruling on Friday raised long-term concerns about its future. The long-awaited ruling by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee welcomed Australian efforts to maintain the environmentally sensitive region but noted its outlook was "poor" and called on the government to stick rigidly to commitments to protect it. "Climate change, poor water quality and impacts from coastal development are major threats to the property's health...," the statement said after delegates held discussions in the German city in Bonn. Busy shipping lanes pass through the area and commercial ships are required to hire a special "reef pilot" to navigate through it.

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is due to decide in June whether to put the reef on its "in danger" list because its corals have been badly damaged and some of its animal species, including dugong and large green turtles, are threatened. Such a listing could lead to restrictions on shipping and port expansions that could hit Australia's trade in commodities and energy. Environment Minister Greg Hunt issued proposed changes to regulations to carry out the ban, which he announced in November, barring sea dumping of dredged soil in the 345,000 sq km Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The park is under federal government control. The Queensland state government also plans to ban dredge dumping in a further 3…

Australia has ordered a ban on dumping dredge waste on most of the Great Barrier Reef, the environment minister Greg Hunt stated, as part of a push to cease the UN declaring the website in danger. The atmosphere minister has given orders for new regulations to be put in place for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, to ban them from issuing dumping permits for the reef. This has been a dramatic change in the way the reef is managed, said a statement from Hunt. He added that it was ending 100 years of practice, 14 years of Queensland Labor practice, six years of federal practice, and his party doing what Labor never did. The move makes good on Hunt’s commitment to the Unesco World Heritage Committee, which has threatened to list the reef as in danger.

A report from Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority finds the greatest risks to the Reef are still climate change, land-based run-off, coastal development, some remaining impacts of fishing and illegal fishing and poaching. Even with the recent management initiatives to reduce threats and improve resilience, the overall outlook for the Great Barrier Reef is poor, has worsened since 2009 and is expected to further deteriorate, the reports says. The report, published every five years, is required under Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (section 54) and aims to provide a regular and reliable means of assessing reef health and management in an accountable and transparent way.

A proposed $10 billion Australian coal port expansion, one of two port expansions planned near the Great Barrier Reef, was shelved by its sponsors on Friday who pointed to a lack of demand for the extra capacity. The Dudgeon Point coal terminal project, designed to handle 180 million tonnes a year, was withdrawn on Friday ahead of a deadline for submitting all the studies for its application for environmental approval. The decision came in the wake of a slide in coal prices to five-year lows that has forced miners, led by BHP Billiton Ltd and Glencore, to cancel coal projects, shut mines and sack thousands of workers. The two-terminal…

Germany's largest bank, Deutsche Bank AG, has declared it will not finance a controversial coal port expansion in Australia near the Great Barrier Reef, responding to calls from environmental groups and tourism operators. HSBC, Europe's biggest bank, also signalled on Friday it would be unlikely to finance the project. Deutsche Bank's stand marks a win for those opposed to $26 billion worth of coal projects that plan to use the Abbot Point port, already facing delays due to weak coal prices. But one company involved said the bank's position made no difference. "This doesn't impact our proposed projects in any way," Indian firm GVK Hancock spokesman Josh Euler said.

Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef is under immediate threat from a number of developments and may receive an "in danger" listing as a world heritage site The news comes following a UNESCO visit to the world’s largest living structure in March. The key threats are said to include coastal development, ports and liquefied natural gas facilities, extreme weather, grounding of ships and poor water quality. UNESCO called for the setting of clear, legal targets for the reef’s condition, and said the high level of approvals for planned development was a concern. The World Heritage Committee will discuss the report when it meets in St Petersburg later this month.