Australia's Great Barrier Reef drops to 'critical' status in IUCN list

condition of Australia's Great Barrier Reef is in a “critical state and deteriorating” as climate change warms up waters in which it lies, an international conservation group said. According to latest report by International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), coral reef, which is considered one of most diverse ecosystems in world has lost more than half of its reef in past three decades. In addendum, coral bleaching since 2016 has worsened its health adversely affecting marine life.

“A third (33 per cent) of natural World Herit sites are threatened by climate change, including world’s largest coral reef, Great Barrier Reef, assessed as having a “critical” outlook for first time,” IUCN warned in a statement.

'Critical'

In its latest report, IUCN also ted that health of Great Barrier Reef has worsened moving it from “significant concern” to “critical”. Citing concern, conservation organisation highlighted that reef suffered its third mass coral bleaching in five years during 2019-20 summer. Progress towards safeguarding reef under a long-term sustainability plan through to 2050 has been slow and it has t been possible to stop its deterioration, report concluded.

Read: Australia's Great Barrier Reef Suffered Its Most Extensive Coral Bleaching Event In March

Read: Scientists Say Australia's Great Barrier Reef Suffered Worst-ever Coral Bleaching

Earlier this year, scientists in Australia revealed that Great Barrier Reef has suffered one of most extensive coral bleaching events in March 2020 raising concerns as reefs recovered less each time after process. This was  third extensive bleaching in over last five years. Director of ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, Terry Hughes, said that February 2020 was hottest month on record in Great Barrier Reef since records began in 1900, as per a news ncy report. 

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Read: Australia: Coral Reef Taller Than Empire States Building Discovered By Scientists

Im: www.iucn.org