Statement: Wilderness Society responds to UNESCO decision about the Reef

Emily Dickson, QLD Campaigns Manager for the Wilderness Society said: 

“The World Heritage Committee remains unconvinced that Australia is doing enough to secure the future of the Great Barrier Reef. The World Heritage Committee has announced that the Australian and Queensland Governments must provide a progress report in 18 months and a conservation report by 2029. This is an extraordinary amount of scrutiny on a World Heritage site in a wealthy country like Australia. Following disastrous water quality results largely driven by deforestation in Great Barrier Reef catchments, the international community will continue to be watching Reef catchments with a magnifying glass.

“Bulldozing forest and bushland trashes waterways, smothers coral, and fuels the climate crisis. To keep the Reef off the ‘In Danger’ list permanently, the Australian government must take decisive action to end the destruction of Queensland's forest and bushland.

“If governments want to keep the Reef off UNESCO’s ‘In Danger’ list permanently, the Wilderness Society is calling for the federal government to introduce strong, outcomes-focused National Environmental Standards that are actually enforced to protect nature, and real funding for the new Environmental Protection Agency so it can step in and stop deforestation before bulldozers move in. We're also calling on the Federal Government to implement a roadmap to end deforestation, including supporting a national deforestation monitoring program and early-detection system, and traceability system for agricultural products so they can be tracked across their lifetime (farm-to-fork), demonstrating sustainability credentials and ensuring ongoing market access.”