The Associated Press
Any downgrade of the reef’s World Heritage status could reduce tourism revenue that the natural wonder generates for Australia because fewer tourists would be attracted to a degraded environment and dead coral. The network of 2,500 reefs covering 348,000 square kilometers has been World Heritage-listed since 1981.The report found the site had suffered significantly from coral bleaching events caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures in 2016, 2017 and last year.
“It would be a very significant step for the World Heritage Committee to make this decision and one that we really hope that it does make because it will open up a lot of potential change,” she said. Australia had time to respond by developing a long-term plan to improve the reef’s health called the Reef 2050 Plan.
“I know ... that climate change is the biggest threat to the reef and in no way am I stepping away from that recognition and countries including European countries have got strong views about what policies different countries should have on climate change and I understand that as well, but this is not the convention in which to have those conversations,” Ley said, referring to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
We need to preserve as much as we can of this earth's ecology. Like a drunk/drug addict, those high on profit do not care about sustainability and have no plan to maintain much less rebuild what's been lost. I doubt they even can if they tried.
Wow
Its the tour operators that are fighting this not the ordinary Australians. We want it protected
This is my backyard I agrs.