Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Listing

The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981 due to its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) including its unique natural attributes and enormous scientific and environmental importance.

Joint commitment to Reef protection

The Queensland Government works in partnership with the Australian Government to manage the Reef’s OUV.

The Australian and Queensland governments, along with private sector contributions, have committed more than $5 billion from 2014-15 to 2029-30 to implement conservation and protection measures. Guided by the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan, these efforts aim to urgently address key threats to the Reef’s resilience and ability to adapt to a changing climate and other stressors.

The Reef’s importance

World Heritage sites are places that are important to and belong to everyone, no matter where they are located. They have universal value that is greater than the importance they hold for one particular nation. They are the best examples of the world’s cultural and natural heritage and must have values that are outstanding and universal.

As the world’s most extensive coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef was recognised as a globally outstanding and significant entity. The listing covers an area of 348,000 square kilometres, stretching from the low water mark along the mainland coast up to 250 kilometres offshore. It includes vast shallow inshore areas known as lagoons, mid-shelf and outer reefs, extending beyond the continental shelf to oceanic waters over 2,000 metres deep.

Collectively the landscapes provide some of the most spectacular maritime scenery in the world, including more than 3000 coral reefs, 600 continental islands, 300 coral cays and about 150 inshore mangrove islands. The diversity of species and habitats, and their interconnectivity, make the Reef one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on Earth. No other World Heritage property contains such biodiversity.

Reviews of World Heritage properties

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee regularly reviews the state of conservation of all properties on the World Heritage List. If a property faces serious and specific threats, the Committee can place it on the "in danger" list.

The World Heritage Committee has considered the state of conservation of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area since 2011. In its decisions, the World Heritage Committee requested the Australian Government undertake a range of measures to ensure the Outstanding Universal Value of the Great Barrier Reef is not compromised. In response to concerns about the Reef’s declining long-term outlook, climate change and water quality, the Committee has asked the Australian and Queensland governments to take measures to protect the Reef’s Outstanding Universal Value.

The Australian and Queensland governments are continuing to meet their commitments to UNESCO. This includes reviewing the Water Quality Improvement Plan, reviewing and updating the Reef 2050 Plan, and submitting an updated report on the State of Conservation of the Great Barrier Reef by February 1, 2026.

In July 2025, the World Heritage Committee adopted a draft decision to keep the Reef off the "in danger" list.

Further information

Last updated:: 10 July 2025