Yesterday a United Nations committee suggested that the Great Barrier Reef has deteriorated to such an extent that its status as a world heritage site could be downgraded. The Australian government disagreed with that assessment — strongly.
At more than 340,000 square kilometres, the Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system and has long been a marvel for millions of snorkelers, scuba divers and other tourists. Annually the reef is estimated to be worth almost $5bn to Australia's economy — and industries related to its exploration, development and maintenance employ thousands of people.
In the last 30 years, the reef has been shrinking — with some researchers estimating that up to half of the coral population has disappeared.
Bleaching is bad
Part of the reason coral is dying is because of mass bleaching events. When water gets too warm, corals can expel the algae that give them color — making them more significantly more susceptible to disease.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology shows how sea surface temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef have been gently rising — which in turn has made these mass bleaching events more common.
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will meet in China in July to discuss the World Heritage List.
