According to the Reuters news agency, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is under imminent threat from industrial development and according to a UN report may be considered for listing as a World Heritage Site ‘in danger’, within the next year.  Citing the findings of a mission to the world’s largest living structure in March, the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) recommended that ““in the absence of substantial progress”, its World Heritage Committee would consider such a listing in February next year. The GBR is threatened from various coastal developments such as ports and liquefied natural gas facilities and with less predictable threats such as extreme weather, grounding of ships and agricultural run-off causing poor water quality. The reef’s outstanding universal value “is threatened and decisive action is required to secure its long-term conservation”, said UNESCO”, and “despite management successes there has been a continuing decline in the quality of some parts” of the reef. 

 UNESCO called for the setting of clear, legal targets for the reef’s condition, and said the high level of approvals for planned development in recent years was a concern. Greenpeace says 35 large developments up for approval within 18 months would affect the reef. “Considering the high rate of approvals over the past 12 years, this unprecedented scale of development affecting or potentially affecting the property poses serious concerns over its long-term conservation,” it said. The politically influential Greens, who support Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s minority government, responded to the report by calling for Australia to reduce its dependence on coal. Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke acknowledged that climate change and coastal development posed ongoing threats to the reef, but said the report contained no surprises. “The UNESCO mission in March acknowledged that our management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is still considered to be best practice,” Burke said in a statement. On Monday the 4^th of June, perhaps spurred on by the report, Queensland authorities in the shape of premier Campbell Newman said: “We certainly agree that there was developing, I suppose, a bit of a free-for-all”, when asked about planning consents.  Mr Newman also announced that the state would form a port strategy within 12 months, though he also said: “We are not going to hold back the economic development of Queensland,” The World Heritage Committee will discuss the report when it meets in St Petersburg later this month.