The video follows recent deliberation by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee about the protection of the Great Barrier Reef. Australia is required to provide a first report on progress in just 18 months.
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“This is great news for Australia.
And it’s great news for the Great Barrier Reef”.
Courtesy Dr Ian Bell, QLD Dept of Environment and Heritage Protection and Christine Hof, WWF. The reef’s habitats and wildlife populations are declining, group members says, and the reef’s overall outlook is poor.
Many scientists list climate change as the leading long-term threat to the coral ecosystem, The Guardian reports.
The World Wildlife Fund recently released video from a turtle outfitted with a Go-Pro camera.
“Australia has promised to prioritize the health of the reef over damaging activities like dumping dredge spoil”, said Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF worldwide.
The decision by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation will see the reef – a major tourist attraction off the Queensland coast – remain under surveillance but not listed as endangered.
Part of the WWF’s plan with the camera was to try and understand why hundreds of sea turtles have been washing up on the shore near the Great Barrier Reef either dying or dead.
“Today’s World Heritage decision will keep the pressure on Australia to turn promises into real action and results”.
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The crystal-clear video shows the turtle gliding effortlessly through the turquoise water, passing coral and various fish along the way, and even ever-so-briefly surfacing.
