UNESCO has ‘serious concern’ over Great Barrier Reef coral

Agincourt Reef, located about 30 miles off the coast near the northern reaches of the 1,200-mile long Great Barrier Reef. (AP)

CANBERRA, Australia: A United Nations agency says it has “serious concern” about coral bleaching on Australia’s Great Barrier and urges the government to work faster to improve water quality in the region.
UNESCO said in a draft report to the World Heritage Committee released on Saturday on the state of conservation of World Heritage-listed properties that “climate change remains the most significant overall threat to the future” of the coral expanse.
UNESCO was also critical of Australia, saying “progress toward achieving water quality targets has been slow.”
A study of coral bleaching on the reef, published in the journal Nature in March, found 91 percent of the reef had been bleached at least once during three bleaching events of the past two decades, the most serious event occurring last year.