Reef escapes being classed ‘in danger’ for now but the government must submit a progress report to World Heritage committee by February.

…Lissa Schindler, reef campaigner at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said if Australia did not improve its climate targets and do more to stop land clearing and pollution, then an in danger listing was inevitable.

The reef has flirted with the world heritage in danger list for years, most recently in 2021 when the Morrison government launched a major lobbying push on members of the committee after Unesco said climate impacts and pollution from farms qualified the reef for the danger list.

The committee went against Unesco’s advice after the Australian government, which at the time was a member of the committee, took several positions in favour of other countries and against Unesco’s advice, including one deal with Spain, whose Unesco ambassador said was agreed in return for Spain supporting Australia’s position on the reef…