UNESCO and IUCN have just released a draft decision for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The decision proposes not to list the GBR “In danger” as many expected. However, given the many threats that still face the GBR, this article suggests several aspects of the decision that need to be stronger to maintain the World Heritage values.
Jon Day from the ARC Centre for Coral Reef Studies at JCU has published his views, including a brief analysis of the draft decision, in The Conversation.
Jon concludes that irrespective of the World Heritage Committee’s final decision next month, Australia must do more to address the wide range of the threats identified in its own reports, and show a genuine commitment to restoring the values of the GBR for the sake of future generations.
The draft decision puts Australia on notice and requests a progress report by 1 December 2016, vowing that if “the anticipated progress is not being made”, the GBR will be considered by the WH Committee in 2017.
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Published by Jorge G. Álvarez-Romero
Jorge is an interdisciplinary conservation scientist with a Ph.D. in Systematic Conservation Planning from James Cook University in Australia. With over 15 years of experience in this field, he has led various transdisciplinary projects in terrestrial and marine environments. His work covers multiple topics, such as integrating land-based threats into marine planning, identifying co-benefits from multiple objectives (e.g., downstream benefits in aquatic ecosystems from conservation actions in river basins), enhancing ecological connectivity on conservation networks, and improving collaboration across interests and jurisdictional boundaries. Jorge uses various tools and techniques, including GIS, spatial optimization, spatial modeling, scenario planning, and expert elicitation. Ultimately, he is particularly interested in promoting the integration of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine spatial planning to develop holistic solutions that address complex conservation challenges.
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