UNESCO on Thursday condemned a decision to allow the
dumping of dredge waste in Great Barrier Reef waters and recommended the
Australian marine park be considered for inclusion on the World
Heritage in Danger list.
The decision in January to allow three million cubic metres of dredge
waste to be disposed of in park waters followed a decision by the
government to give the green light to a major coal port expansion for
India's Adani Group on the reef coast in December.Conservationists warn it could hasten the demise of the reef, which is already considered to be in "poor" health, with dredging smothering corals and seagrasses and exposing them to poisons and elevated levels of nutrients.
In its first comments on the issue, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization "noted with concern" and "regrets" the move, which it said "was approved despite an indication that less-impacting disposal alternatives may exist".
It asked the government to provide a new report to the World Heritage Committee proving that dumping was the least damaging option and would not hurt the reef's value.
More generally, UNESCO expressed concern "regarding serious decline in the condition of the Great Barrier Reef, including in coral recruitment and reef-building across extensive parts of the property".
The body said "a business-as-usual approach to managing the property is not an option".
Given the reef's long-term deterioration, it recommended the World Heritage Commitee consider putting it on its in danger list in 2015 "in the absence of substantial progress on key issues".
WWF Australia spokesman Richard Leck said the government needed to act quickly to prevent the embarrassment of the reef being listed as in danger....................https://sg.news.yahoo.com/unesco-condemns-dredge-waste-dumping-barrier-reef-waters-030016633.html
1/5/14
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Related:
Unesco warns Australia over Great Barrier Reef...
ReplyDeleteUnesco has threatened to list the Great Barrier Reef as a World Heritage in Danger site, amid controversy over a plan to dump dredged sediment.
Reef authorities granted permission for the dumping in January as part of a project to create one of the world's biggest coal ports.
But scientists have warned that the sediment could smother or poison coral.
Unesco said given "significant threats" to the reef, it should be considered for inclusion on the danger list.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral structure, rich in marine life. It stretches for more than 2,600km (1,680 miles) along Australia's eastern coast.
'Other alternatives'
The dumping is part of a major development that would allow several companies to export coal reserves from the Galilee Basin area through the Abbot Point port..................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27233810
1/5/14
L'Unesco a condamné jeudi le feu vert des autorités australiennes au déversement de gravats de dragage dans les eaux de la Grande barrière de corail, menaçant de la placer sur la liste des sites du Patrimoine mondial en péril....
ReplyDeleteLe gouvernement australien a récemment autorisé l'extension d'un port d'exportation de charbon et le directoire du parc marin de la Grande barrière de corail a approuvé le rejet de trois millions de m3 de déchets de dragage dans les eaux du parc. Les écologistes craignent une détérioration plus rapide encore de l'état du récif qui a déjà perdu plus de la moitié de ses coraux au cours des trois décennies passées sous l'effet de facteurs météorologiques (tempêtes), climatiques (réchauffement) et industriels. L'Unesco a "pris acte avec préoccupation" et "regret" de la décision des autorités australiennes, et demandé à Canberra de fournir un nouveau rapport au Comité du patrimoine mondial démontrant l'innocuité de ces déversements. De façon générale, l'Unesco se dit inquiet du "grave déclin" de la Grande barrière et recommande au comité d'étudier son inscription en 2015 sur la liste du patrimoine en péril "en l'absence de progrès significatifs". Selon un rapport gouvernemental, l'Australie a fait une priorité de la lutte contre une étoile de mer coralliphage et s'efforce de réduire les dépôts de sédiments et de nitrates provenant en particulier de l'agriculture. Concernant le développement portuaire, le gouvernement affirme n'avoir approuvé aucun projet nouveau ni projet susceptible d'avoir un impact "inacceptable" sur la Grande barrière. (Belga)
http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/1087846/australie-l-unesco-condamne-le-deversement-de-gravats-pres-de-la-grande-barriere-de-corail
1/5/14