"U.N. Mission Joins Growing Calls to Label Great Barrier Reef ‘In Danger’"

"The report’s authors said current conservation efforts were not enough to address the “ongoing and increasingly serious challenge” presented by climate change."

"The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem and one of its most biodiverse, is under significant threat from climate change and should be placed on a list of world heritage sites in danger, a United Nations-backed mission has recommended.

The mission’s report, released on Monday, said current conservation efforts were not enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef, “in large part due to the sheer scale of the challenge” presented by climate change, development and deteriorating water quality.

The sprawling Great Barrier Reef spans more than 1,400 miles along Australia’s northeast coast, counts some 2,500 individual reefs and can be viewed from space. Known for its “superlative beauty,” it is home to about 400 kinds of coral and 1,500 species of fish, according to UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural agency, which said that “no other world heritage property contains such biodiversity.”"

Christine Chung reports for the New York Times November 28, 2022.

SEE ALSO:

"Australia Argues Against ‘Endangered’ Barrier Reef Status" (AP)

Source: NYTimes, 11/29/2022