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AUSTRALIA HAS INSISTED it is committed to protecting the Great Barrier Reef today after the UN warned that the natural wonder’s world heritage status could be in downgraded in 2014.
UNESCO said little had been done to address concerns about rampant coastal development and water quality raised a year ago with the Australian government in a warning that its heritage status was at risk.
“The state party has made progress on some key issues and actions but progress on several recommendations, including those related to water quality and measures to prevent coastal development … remains limited,” UNESCO said ahead of its annual congress next month in Phnom Penh.
Urgent and decisive action is needed to address these issues.
Without a “firm and demonstrable commitment on these priority issues” UNESCO said the reef should be considered for inscription on the list of world heritage sites in danger in 2014.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said her government had taken steps to increase protection of the reef, including Aus$200 million (€157 million) towards the Reef Rescue water quality project.
“We are very committed to keeping the Great Barrier Reef as the wonderful heritage area for the world that it is and for our nation,” Gillard told reporters.
An aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef (Press Association Image)
But environmental group WWF said UNESCO had “put Australia in the sin bin”.
“The expert bodies are so concerned that they are recommending an immediate halt to approvals of coastal development projects that could individually or cumulatively impact on the reef’s world heritage values until (Australia’s state and national) governments have properly responded to their recommendations,” said WWF’s Richard Leck.
Australia’s environmentally-driven Greens party said the latest UNESCO report was a “slap on the wrist” for the government, with most sites on the heritage in danger list in developing nations or war zones.
“This is the world heritage body warning us that we need to (do) better or our reef, our most precious tourism icon, will be put on the world heritage endangered list, along with other countries like Yemen, the Congo and Afghanistan,” said Greens Senator Larissa Waters.
Australia is riding an unprecedented wave of resources investment due to booming demand from Asia, with hundreds of billions of dollars worth of resource projects in the pipeline.
Last June UNESCO said the sheer number and scale of proposals, including liquefied natural gas, tourism and mining projects, could threaten the reef’s status.
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Pity that wasnt around seven years ago , I lost my mam to mouth cancer, there’s absolutely nothing more horrific than what she went through for eighteen months and to visibly see what cancer does was something I will never get over or forget.
Sorry for your loss Michelle
@nucky – you should get your mouth checked – teach you how to keep it shut.
Would getting me to open my mouth in order to show me how to keep it shut not be a bit silly?
I was at a routine dental check when the dentist saw suspicious lesions in my mouth. I was sent to the dental hospital for a biopsy which showed precancerous cells. I was advised to give up smoking which I did and luckily the cells returned to normal. I was so lucky. I advised a lot of people to go for that free check up. I got the fright of my life being told those results.
Well get your facts right and read the article properly.. It says FREE oral screening … and your comment hit a nerve with me..sorry if I insulted you..
Apology accepted. I appreciate the check is free but my experience is that dentists often use this as an opportunity to get you in the door, open wide and then sting you for a shit load of fillings, de-scaling and dental work ‘cha-ching’!
Just sayin’
In that case Nucky, go into the dental hospital when the next screening day is on, all they will do is examine your mouth for cancerous or precancerous lesions. You will be advised to have a family dentist for regular check ups but its entirely up to you if you want to go or not.
No need. I go to my friendly dentist every six months for my twice yearly check up and cleaning.
(AKA: We are dentists and we need some extra cash)
@ nucky..What an idiotic thing to say .. ! Its obvious no member of your family have been affected by oral or throat cancer.. Well my family have but, luckily at a routine dental check- up, (you know what they are do you??) our local dentist spotted a lesion and referred on to an oral surgeon who treated it.. Alls well now thank god.. So keep your uneducated opinions to yourself or change your dentist.. You’re obviously not happy with the one you have…
Its my opinion, no need for the insult.
It points out that it was free service, not a lot of money in free services.
Read all the comments before offering your glib comment.
No need for the insult:) but i like you, you tell it as it is. Its a good quality in a person. A+.
I never insult anybody, not my style.
these checks were done free of charge as part of a cancer awareness day.
@ mucky .. God.. You must be the patient from hell!!
Tks lucille , @ nucky, I’ll gladly show you how to do it!!! ;))
Having seen my dad go through oral cancer, I’d advise anyone to avail of this free check up.
He’s come out the other end because of wonderful advancements in surgery and a remarkable dedicated team of doctors, nurses and surgeons ( angels all of them ).
Wish this check up had been there for him a few years ago as his cancer was found at a very advanced stage.
His life is greatly compromised now, but we still have him and treasure our time together.
have your say