Reef Race-video

Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef is at risk of being put on UNESCO’s World Heritage danger list due to proposed port expansions.

The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef, sits off the coast of Queensland in Australia’s northeast. It brings in almost two million visitors and about $6bn from tourism every year.

But one of Australia’s top export earners is coal and Queensland is the country’s top coal producer. Many coal ports and coal shipping routes are close to or within the Great Barrier Reef.

Now, there are nine proposals for coal mines and port expansion in the vicinity of the heritage listed reef.