Great Barrier Reef World Heritage natural criteria
Key Finding
The Great Barrier Reef meets all 4 World Heritage natural criteria: natural phenomena and exceptional natural beauty; representing major stages of Earth's history; significant ongoing ecological and biological processes; and contain the most important and significant habitats for conservation of biodiversity.
The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area covers 348,000km2 and includes both marine areas and all the Great Barrier Reef islands contained inside its boundary. The area has the same boundary as the Great Barrier Reef Region, except that it also includes the internal waters and islands of Queensland.
The Great Barrier Reef was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981. It was the first coral reef ecosystem in the world to be listed as world heritage. It is now one of 49 marine World Heritage areas.
Recognition of the Reef’s outstanding universal value was based on all 4 World Heritage natural criteria in place at the time of listing—acknowledging the Reef’s natural values, together with the strong ongoing links between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their sea country.
The spatial extent of the World Heritage Area has remained generally unchanged since the time of inscription.
More information:
- World Heritage List
- Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2019, and references therein
Relevant Sustainable Development Goals’ targets
Great Barrier Reef World Heritage natural criteria
| World Heritage natural criteria | Criteria summary |
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Download data from Queensland Government data
Metadata
Great Barrier Reef World Heritage natural criteria identified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Heritage Convention.