The Great Barrier Reef faces the UN and Australia 1:35
(CNN) -
The Australian government and a UN body clashed this week over whether the Great Barrier Reef is "in danger" of losing its "outstanding universal value" and its place on the World Heritage list.
On Friday, the World Heritage Committee decided not to include the reef on a list of "endangered" sites.
Instead, he decided to ask for a report on ongoing efforts to conserve the reef.
The Unesco World Heritage List contains hundreds of sites considered of great value to future generations, from natural wonders like Yellowstone Park in the United States to cultural wonders like the Great Wall of China.
Liverpool off the Unesco World Heritage list
Every year, the World Heritage Committee meets to decide whether to add new sites to the list and to assess whether any of the current ones are in danger.
They discover a reef higher than the Empire State 1:00
Designation "endangered" means that a site is threatened and, if steps are not taken to address the issues, it could lose its World Heritage status.
advertising
The committee, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) and of which 21 countries are members, asked Australia on Friday to send a report on the state of conservation of the reef before February 2022. The report must state what protection measures were applied to preserve the "outstanding universal value" of the reef.
Australia struggled to maintain status through intense
last-minute
lobbying
, which included taking ambassadors snorkeling off the reef.
SPECIAL: Everything you need to know about the weather, climate change and the weather
This week, scientists and celebrities lobbied for the reef to be classified as "endangered" in a letter published by 13 public figures - actors, former politicians and journalists - urging the committee to endorse UNESCO's recommendation on the matter. .
"There is still time to save the Great Barrier Reef, but Australia and the world must act now," says the letter signed by "Aquaman" actor Jason Momoa and ocean explorer Philippe Cousteau, among others.
These 4 places are devastated by climate change 1:59
The Great Barrier Reef, a fundamental ecosystem
The Great Barrier Reef stretches almost 345,000 square kilometers off the coast of Australia and is home to more than 1,600 species of fish and 600 species of soft and hard coral.
It is a vital marine ecosystem that also contributes US $ 6.4 billion annually to the Australian economy and supports 64,000 jobs, according to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
However, a series of natural disasters and the growing effects of climate change have seriously impacted the reef, which has suffered widespread coral bleaching events.
In a report published on June 21, a Unesco monitoring mission said that despite the Australian government's work, "there is no doubt that the property faces a proven danger."
But the Australian government strongly opposed Unesco's conclusion.
Forecast for Great Barrier Reef worsens 0:35
Environment Minister Sussan Ley traveled to Europe in July in a final attempt to convince the other 20 members of the World Heritage commission to vote against the measure.
Australia is currently on the rotating committee of 21 countries.
Last week Australia's official ambassador for the reefs, Warren Entsch, took several ambassadors, including several from the countries that vote in the World Heritage Committee, on a diving excursion to the Great Barrier Reef.
A "scientifically based" rating
Dr Fanny Douvere, Director of the Marine Program at the World Heritage Center, defended the qualification of "endangered" as "unbiased" and "scientifically based".
He said that regardless of the World Heritage Council's vote, Unesco's recommendation that the reef is "in danger" would continue to express his vision.
"The evidence is not something that we are investigating, the evidence is something that is described very clearly," he said.
"It simply would not have been credible not to alert the international community to the situation."
The Australian Government's argument
The Australian government backed its position with a new report from the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, released Monday, showing an increase in hard coral in three Great Barrier Reef regions over the past year.
"The past two years have revealed that recovery in much of the GBR is underway, a promising sign that illustrates that the GBR still has the capacity and ecological functions necessary to recover from shocks," the report said.
But leading Australian scientists said the new coral growth is fragile and backed Unesco's recommendation.
"The threats facing the Great Barrier Reef are serious, they have continued and the targets set have not been met," said Scott Heron, associate professor of physics at James Cook University in Queensland.
3 examples of climate change happening near you 2:23
Heron said that even though some corals have returned after bleaching events in recent years, much of the growth is of a variety that is particularly sensitive to heat stress and death.
Australia's poor performance on climate action
In a statement to CNN, Minister Ley's spokesperson said the Australian government opposed the rating as 'endangered', "not only because of our concern regarding the Reef, but because we believe the process runs the risk of damage the integrity of the World Heritage System. "
But Lesley Hughes, a spokesperson for the Climate Council and distinguished professor of biology at Macquarie University, said she believed the Australian government was also concerned about being embarrassed by its poor record on climate change.
Climate change has arrived, European officials say after deadly floods swept through entire cities
In a report released by the UN in July, assessing progress towards the global sustainable development goals, Australia ranked last for climate action.
"So while the government points to the amount of money it has spent on local adaptation (on the Barrier Reef), it still doesn't take itself seriously and has never taken the fight against climate change seriously," Hughes said.
Great Barrier Reef
