The Great Barrier Reef has been hit by bleaching due to heat stress, the Australian agency that manages the reef said on Friday, ahead of a visit by United Nations officials reviewing whether the reef should be listed as being "in danger."
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Australia last year dodged an "in danger" listing for the reef, a World Heritage site, for a second time, after heavy lobbying by Canberra led UNESCO to postpone a decision to this year. Read full story
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said in a weekly update most of the marine park had been hit by "significant heat stress" over the summer, with water temperatures in some areas as much as two to four degrees Celsius above average.
Aerial surveys showed whole colonies of coral had been bleached white in several locations, and in some sections there were reports of corals dying, it said.
UNESCO experts will be in Australia for 10 days from March 21 to meet scientists, regulators, policymakers from the Australian and Queensland state governments, and members of the public, a federal environment department spokesperson said. The team will report to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which is due to meet in June.
