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Hi NEVILLE,
You were heard.
I just walked out of the UNESCO World Heritage meeting in Doha where the Committee voted on the Great Barrier Reef.
Their decision: the Australian Government must take action to protect the Reef.
In the face of intense pressure, the World Heritage Committee held the line and put the Australian Government firmly on notice: take stronger action to protect the Great Barrier Reef – or risk it being listed ‘in danger.’
This is a huge win for the Reef! To avoid the World Heritage ‘list of shame,’ the Australian Government must take concrete action to protect the Reef and ban dumping in Reef waters.
You helped make this happen, NEVILLE.
During the meeting, I was given the opportunity to address the Committee. I couldn’t have been more proud than the moment I got to remind them:
“In the last 2 days, a quarter of a million people sent a message to this Committee to uphold the draft decision that is before you now.
“…The World Heritage Committee has two choices; either you consider the dumping of millions of tonnes of dredge waste in the Reef waters is consistent with protecting the outstanding universal values of the Barrier Reef, or you draw a line and agree with the quarter of a million people who asked each of you this week, to say a very clear no.”
The fight for the Reef certainly isn’t over – we need to use this momentum to ensure the Australian and Queensland governments take the action needed to protect the Reef.
Start by sharing this pic on Facebook. It’ll help make the World Heritage Committee’s message to the Australian Government visible around the world.
More to come on next steps in the coming days, but I wanted you to be first to hear!
Thank you.
Richard Leck
Great Barrier Reef Campaigner
WWF-Australia
P.S. After more on the details of the decision? Check out further info here. |
