A man snorkels in an area called the Coral Gardens on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Reuters/File
CANBERRA: Australia on Friday garnered enough international support to defer for two years an attempt by the United Nations cultural organisation to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef s World Heritage status because of damage caused by climate change.
Unesco had recommended that its World Heritage Committee add the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem off the northeast Australian coast to the World Heritage in Danger list, mainly due to rising ocean temperatures.
But Australian-proposed amendments to the draft decision at a committee meeting in China on Friday deferred the in danger question until 2023.
Status debate delayed for Great Barrier Reef
arkansasonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from arkansasonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Great Barrier Reef is not on the 'in danger' list. Why, and what happens next? | Great Barrier Reef
theguardian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theguardian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.