The Great Barrier Reef avoids the "endangered" inscription of the Unesco – Lakeland Observer

On June 11, 2015, a diver inspected the state of the Great Barrier Reef in an area known as "Coral Gardens" located at Lady Elliot Island, in the state of Queensland, Australia (photo). Reuters archive).

SYDNEY – The Australian government on Thursday hailed the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's decision to leave the Great Barrier Reef off its "at risk" list, despite recent laundering events and threats from climate change. Australia.

In a unanimous vote on Wednesday at the World Heritage Committee meeting in Krakow, Poland, the committee welcomed the progress made in the government's long-term sustainable development plan.

The committee stated that it "strongly encourages (Australia) to accelerate efforts to achieve the medium and long-term goals of the plan, which are essential to the overall resilience of the property, including concerning the quality of water ".

The plan was established in 2015 by the federal government, in collaboration with the Queensland State Government, and invests over A $ 2 billion ($ 1.5 billion) in the protection and management of the Government of Queensland. World Heritage site.

Speaking with ABC Radio, the Australian Minister of the Environment, Josh Frydenberg, called the decision of the United Nations "great victory for Australia".

"We have received strong approval that our Reef 2050 plan is working," he said. "We are taking all possible steps to ensure that this great wonder of the world remains viable and healthy for generations to come."

However, the committee has expressed "serious concern" at recent coral bleaching events and has described climate change as a significant global threat to the future of the Great Barrier Reef.

"Although the long-term effects of these (bleaching) events can not yet be fully assessed, their magnitude serves to underscore the seriousness of the threat that climate change poses to property," the report says.

Experts have already warned that the government's plan for the protection and management of the reef until 2050 is no longer feasible due to the dramatic impacts of climate change.