PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Unesco’s World Heritage Committee (WHC) has deferred a decision on inscribing the Great Barrier Reef on the list of world heritage sites in danger.

WHC director Kishore Rao said that the decision adopted by the committee welcomed the progress made by Australia in managing the reef. The country has to submit an updated report on the state of conservation of the site by February 1, 2015.

“Unesco is confident the overall direction towards next year’s decision is a positive one,” he said.

The committee’s concerns over the site relate to planned coastal developments, including development of ports and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities.

The Queensland state government welcomed the decision, with Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Andrew Powell saying it validated the work being done by the local government.

“Our strong plan to protect the Great Barrier Reef is already producing positive results, creating a brighter future that Queenslanders and tourists from around the world can enjoy.

“This decision is also a win for logic and science rather than rhetoric and scaremongering,” Powell added.

“Despite the best efforts of the green groups, we have successfully demonstrated to Unesco that the reef is in safe hands, and that we are being guided by scientific facts and as a result, we are achieving positive outcomes.”

Powell pointed out that the state government had completed significant work to address Unesco’s concerns around planned coastal developments, which included the development of ports and LNG facilities.

“We have significantly scaled back the development at Abbot Point and imposed more than 140 conditions on the project. We have delivered our ports strategy, limiting development to existing port areas for a decade, and we have outlined our plans to enshrine that commitment in legislation.”

Queensland Resources CEO Michael Roche said this week that all Australians would welcome the committee’s decision to reject activist calls to place the reef on the World Heritage ‘in-danger’ list.

“We are pleased the committee is as focused on the future management of the Great Barrier Reef as we are here,” Roche said.

“Maintaining the outstanding universal value of the Great Barrier Reef was the centrepiece of the assessment process, which has set a world-class benchmark for marine precinct management.”

Port-related activities along the 2 300-km-long Great Barrier Reef occupy less than 1% of the coastline and the areas set aside for sediment relocation represent less than 0.02% of the world heritage property area.