Australia is home to some of the most pristine environment on Earth, but two of its most high-profile protected areas face threats to their status as World Heritage Sites at a UNESCO meeting starting Sunday in Doha. In such a vast country that boasts large tracts of desert, rainforest and coast, many of Australia's natural wonders have won UNESCO World Heritage listings. Perhaps its best-known masterpiece is the Great Barrier Reef, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet that sprawls across an area roughly the size of Japan. But all is not well on the reef, which is considered to be in "poor" health. It is under growing pressure not just from climate change and the destructive coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, but agricultural runoff and rampant coastal development linked to mining. For these reasons, UNESCO is considering downgrading its status to "World Heritage in Danger" at its annual meeting, in the absence of Australia showing "substantial" progress in dealing with the problems Abbott's 'environmentally reckless' move Another of Australia's natural wonders under threat is the Tasmanian Wilderness, one of the last expanses of temperate wilderness in the world that covers nearly 20 percent, or 1.4 million hectares, of the southern island state. Prime Minister Tony Abbott believes too much forest is locked up, and favours more access for loggers. He has requested UNESCO remove its World Heritage status for 74,000 hectares of the area, claiming it was not pristine—the first time a developed country has asked for a delisting. The move has been labelled "environmentally reckless" by green groups. more at: Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-06-australian-natural-unesco-spotlight.html#jCp
At present Australia has a real conservative moron as our PM. Our country needs UNESCO to put as much pressure as is humanly possible on this current governement for the next 2 or 3 years, and until we have federal Elections again. It is near certain he will be a one term PM. C'mon UNESCO!
I wouldn't bet on that. We're not even a year into the 3-year term yet. The budget hasn't helped the Libs, but there's time enough for voters to get over it. What's strange is how hard it is to find people now who will openly admit they voted Liberal at the last election. Plenty of them did.
100% correct on the last point, but I'll bet my short n curlies, he will be turfed at the next election...despite the propaganda from the Murdoch press.
Doesn't matter. Strines seem to be too stupid to do the valuable thing no matter which side is pulling the saw across the eco-limb you are sitting on.
Lol, that's why the electorate does not allow either side to control both houses of parliament at the same time.
The electorate gave John Howard control of both houses back in 2004. Not a great idea. They'd had enough by 2007.
