The condition of the Great Barrier Reef has worsened from “significant concern” to “critical” in a damning world heritage outlook report by a UNESCO advisory body.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) escalated the reef’s status to the worst possible rating in its report on Thursday and named climate change the greatest threat to the Australian natural wonder.
The move comes as an influx of tourists return to Queensland after the easing of coronavirus border restrictions, eager to holiday on the reef.
The report also downgraded its rating of four other Australian World Heritage areas: the Blue Mountains, the Gondwana rainforests, Shark Bay and the Ningaloo Coast.
The 2020 Conservation Outlook observed “a number of values” that had placed the Great Barrier Reef on the World Heritage List had diminished, with much of the damage done in the past four years.
“There has been a further dramatic decline as a result of the 2016, 2017 and 2020 coral bleaching events,” the report said.
The IUCN is the official advisor on nature to the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee.
Its report uses the opinions of international experts who weigh up the natural values of World Heritage sites, while assessing how well-protected they are from ongoing and future threats.
Scott Heron, an Associate Professor in Physics at James Cook University in Townsville, said he was “surprised and shocked” by the deterioration of the reef’s condition.
“This is a robust and scientifically rigorous report so I think it is a very grim outlook, with the key threat being climate change,” Dr Heron said.
“Three coral-bleaching events in five years are a swaying factor in terms of the threat to the reef …
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