Keeping Reef Off In-danger List Sends ‘False Message’

High coral cover on Linnet Reef indicating strong recovery from cumulative disturbances since 2013 which have included crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, mass coral bleaching and two severe tropical cyclones. Australian Institute of Marine Science

The Great Barrier Reef has avoided inclusion on a global list of in-danger sites, but an expert says this does not reflect the reality of a reef in “dire straits.”

The World Heritage Committee on July 25 night accepted draft recommendations to exclude the reef from its in-danger list for the third consecutive year.