UN mission must see coral bleaching to get ‘whole picture’ of Great Barrier Reef, experts say

A UN mission under way in Queensland to see if the Great Barrier Reef should be put on an "in danger" list will not get "the whole picture" unless it visits reefs currently experiencing coral bleaching, conservationists and the government's own reef envoy have said.

Details of the 10-day mission, which began on Monday in Brisbane, are being kept confidential and the locations to be visited have not been formally disclosed.

But Guardian Australia understands briefings started in Brisbane, and visits to Lady Elliot Island on the reef's southern tip, as well as time in Cairns and Townsville, are on the agenda.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is due to complete aerial bleaching surveys across the 2300-kilometre reef before the end of this week.

The authority's chief scientist, Dr David Wachenfeld, has confirmed bleaching is widespread but variable, saying the flights will give a clearer picture of how the event compares with five previous mass bleachings.

Fierce lobbying from the Morrison government last year saw the 21-country World Heritage committee ignore a Unesco recommendation that the reef be placed on a list of sites "in danger", mainly because of impacts from the climate crisis.

Instead, the committee asked Australia to renew its cornerstone Reef 2050 policy so that it "addresses the threat posed to the property by climate change" and said it was concerned progress in cutting pollution running off farms and grazing areas was too slow.