Documents reveal a behind-the-scenes campaign by Australia's government to prevent the Great Barrier Reef from being listed as 'in danger' by Unesco. The campaign involved lobbying world heritage committee members, dispatching officials to Paris, and gathering intelligence on potential voting blocs.
Australia’s environment minister Tanya Plibersek says the government is ‘proud of the work we’ve done to better protect the Great Barrier Reef’.Australia’s environment minister Tanya Plibersek says the government is ‘proud of the work we’ve done to better protect the Great Barrier Reef’.keep the Great Barrier Reef off a list of world heritage sites in danger
The strategy outlined how Australia would target meetings with newer members of the committee, would meet in person and virtually with Unesco and its advisers and identified opportunities in other international meetings to put its case that it was doing its utmost to protect the reef. A senior foreign affairs official also travelled to Paris in July and had meetings with senior Unesco directors where reef issues were also discussed.Overseas Australian government staff posted in committee member countries were sent questionnaires to fill out to gather intelligence. Diplomats in Greece, Bulgaria, Argentina, Lebanon, Belgium and Jamaica were among those to complete the work.
The documents also show the government is aware that its advocacy will need to be maintained until at least 2026, when the committee has said it could next consider a danger listing for the reef. Climate change is the most prevalent threat to world heritage sites, according to IUCN, with the threat considered high or very high at 83 sites around the world.
GREAT BARRIER REEF UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE CLIMATE CHANGE AUSTRALIA
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