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Five of the country’s largest environment groups have written to the United Nations urging Australia be put under annual scrutiny over land clearing at the Great Barrier Reef.
It was revealed during Senate estimates that out of 248 calls and 11 emails from landholders to the government about land clearing, only six received a pre-referral meeting.
The letter, penned by the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, Greenpeace, the Australian Conservation Foundation, WWF Australia, and the Wilderness Society in April, called on UNESCO to require the Australian government report every year through 2029 with evidence that land clearing was falling.
The Great Barrier Reef, which is estimated to generate more than $9bn annually and is one of Australia’s biggest employers, was listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1981 but in recent years has been the subject of “utmost concern” by the agency due to threats from climate change and water pollution.
Chief among those concerns is land clearing in catchment areas flowing into the reef, with the Albanese government late last year requiring as part of its Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act reforms federal assessment for land clearing within 50m of waterways leading into the reef catchment area.
Environmental groups warn land clearing could lead to dry sediment and toxic pesticides running into the reef and suffocating coral.
In their letter, the environmental groups warned that while the government’s reforms offered “prospects of addressing reef run-off and poor water quality”, there was a range of circumstances where implementation could be “either effective or wholly inadequate” in responding to UNESCO fears raised in 2025.
“Securing the strongest possible implementation of Australia’s reformed environment laws could provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address longstanding scientific concerns about the negative water quality impacts of large-scale deforestation from the river catchments that flow into the” reef, the letter stated.
“It is our considered view that it will take 12 to 36 months to determine whether national environmental law reforms will have begun to be successful in protecting high value vegetation, avoiding run-off impacts on Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Values.”
The letter stated it would also take time to determine whether the Queensland state government, which retains primary responsibility for regulating land clearing in reef catchments, “will either co-operate with the Australian government in implementing the new national reforms or strengthen its own regulatory system”.
It went on to note that National Environment Standards, on which land clearing applications while be judged, had not yet been established, and there was no clear data or “compliance mechanisms” for the government to monitor land clearing, which was instead reliant on “self-referring”.
The new National Environmental Protection Agency would also not be established until at least July 2026, the letter reported.
The warning comes less than two months before UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee convenes on July 19, with Australia’s reef management on the agenda.
Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation executive director Lyndon Schneiders said the reef was “an Australian icon” and it needed help from the government.
“The time is now for Minister (Murray) Watt to lead and put in place strong protections to ensure the clearing stops and the reef is given a helping hand,” he said.
“As a Queenslander, he knows the reef is special and that as a former agriculture minister, he also knows that sometimes a small number of cowboy beef farmers make the whole industry look bad. It is in everyone’s interest to stop the clearing and help the Reef”.
WWF-Australia’s Head of Oceans Richard Leck said pollution flowing from nearby coasts and catchments was one of the most significant threats facing the reef.
“Tree clearing in catchments has led to millions of tonnes of sediment washing into reef waters over many years. These massive plumes of sediment can choke corals and seagrass, weakening the Reef ecosystem as it faces increasing pressure from climate change,” he said.
“This pollution is also damaging the cultural heritage of the Great Barrier Reef by harming Country and Sea Country that is deeply significant to traditional owners.
“The reef is resilient, but it needs our help. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Minister Watt to cut pollution flowing to the Reef by keeping trees standing and restoring habitats where needed.”
Australian Conservation Foundation biodiversity policy adviser Brendan Sydes said the reef was “in critical need of a lifeline”.
“If the reef is to have any chance of recovery, the Albanese government must make sure its reformed nature laws and the new National Environmental Protection Agency deliver strong protection for the Reef and its catchment,” he said.
In a statement, Environment Minister Murray Watt said Australia’s State of Conservation Report to UNESCO demonstrated all reef-related commitments had been delivered or were on track for delivery by their due date, and new policies and funding had been committed to address previous recommendations.
“Australia remains committed to delivering strong, world-leading marine park management to protect the reef,” Senator Watt said.
“We know that across the world, coral reefs are under pressure from climate change and other threats.”
Senator Watt said funding was being provided to improve water quality and manage the impact of crown-of-thorns starfish, while the Reef Restoration Program was also delivering the “most advanced reef restoration and adaptation initiative in the world”.
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act reforms would support further water quality improvements, he said.
“This is a change that the environmental groups who have sent this letter to UNESCO had been calling for, for many years,” he said.
“This new requirement builds on the water quality work already under way through the $200m Landscape Repair Program and $192m Clearer Water for a Healthy Reef funding package.
“New programs are also under way to target water quality threats associated with farmland and urban areas and to support habitats that are important for water quality,” Senator Watt said.
He said the government would continue working with the World Heritage Centre, advisory bodies and states parties to strengthen the capacity of the World Heritage system to respond to the global challenge of climate change.
“The Albanese government is committed to supporting a healthy, resilient reef into the future, underpinned by a record $3.9bn investment by the commonwealth since 2014-15,” he said.
Last week, it was revealed during Senate estimates that out of 248 calls and 11 emails from landholders to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) about land clearing, only about six received a re-referral meeting.
The hearing was told DCCEEW expected two or three of those to become formal referrals.
Departmental officials took on notice how many of those requests were related to land clearing within the Great Barrier Reef catchment area.
Queensland Environment Assessments branch head Declan O’Connor-Cox said exemptions from assessment due to continuous clearing did not apply within 50m of reef catchment areas.
Nationals senator Matt Canavan asked: “So even if they cleared it two years ago, they’ve still got to go back and assess it?”
“If they want to clear it again and it’s within 50ms, then it’s not exempt,” Mr O’Connor-Cox replied.
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