In light of Australia’s decision to expand Abbott Port and dispose of the dredged sediment associated with that expansion within the GBR marine reserve, UNESCO is contemplating demoting the Great Barrier Reef from a World Heritage Site to a World Heritage Site in Danger. UNESCO officials are currently reviewing the Australian government’s report on the state of conservation for the GBR. They plan to release an official assessment of the state of the GBR in May.
UNESCO’s response to this situation is a reminder that Australians and residents of the nearby Pacific Islands are not the only stakeholders in the expansion of Abbott Port: there is also an international interest in the preservation of the GBR. This dispersed interest is only partially captured by Australia’s tourism industry, which is interested in continuing visits to the reef, but not necessarily in meaning placed on the reef that is disconnected from dollar values. UNESCO is able to represent this international cultural value that otherwise would be difficult to bring to the table in a focused, meaningful way.
According to UNESCO, the port expansion may compromise some of the features of the coral that give it “Outstanding Universal Value.” The important components of Outstanding Universal Value according to UNESCO are shown below.
Story Source: http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/great-barrier-risks-20140214-32pyy.html
For more information on UNESCO world heritage sites see: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/?&&&type=natural
Post image Taken from UNESCO’s 2012 manual “Managing National World Heritage”
Featured Image Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1099