Australia's environment minister, Sussan Ley, recently spent eight days traveling around Europe and the Middle East lobbying to prevent the inclusion of the Great Barrier Reef on UNESCO's "in danger" list.
Putting the Reef on the list would acknowledge its threatened status and the environmental issues it faces. It would put it in a position to receive funding and work to maintain it.
Keeping it off that list is simply an attempt to avoid embarrassment, a way of saying "No, we're not failing, our environmental policies are just fine, thank you!" It's entirely political.
The decision will be made by UNESCO in the next few hours, I believe. I have already emailed them asking that they do put the Reef on the "in danger" list. Politics and lobbying should have no bearing on the actual at-risk status of our environment and our natural heritage.
I anticipate disappointment.