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Great Barrier Reef should be listed 'in danger': U.N.

The United Nations committee that handles UNESCO World Heritage sites is recommending that Australia's Great Barrier Reef be listed as a site "in danger."

A suggestion that has angered Australia's government - who calls it politically motivated.

Susan Ley is the country’s Environment Minister:

"This is a complete subversion of normal process, (the) foreign minister and I had a late-night meeting with the director-general of UNESCO last night and we made very clear our strong disappointment, even our bewilderment, that our officials have been blindsided in the way that they have. Only a week ago we were reassured that this was not going to occur."

Ley said they would challenge the recommendation, and that some hidden agenda had influenced its findings.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a government official told Reuters that China, which chairs the committee, had been responsible for their stance.

Relations with China and Australia have been fraught recently. However, China rejected the claim that it was behind the move.

Environmental groups also dismissed politics playing a part - saying that Australia was not doing enough to protect the reef.

Senior Research Fellow at James Cook University Jon Day says the listing is an opportunity to improve:

"But if I can make a couple of points about what 'in danger' means, it's not a permanent listing, it's a concern raised by the World Heritage Committee about the values of a World Heritage property and so there are currently about 53 other properties on the "in danger" list and many properties have come off the "in danger" list once they can show that they have addressed the concerns that have been raised by the committee."

UNESCO, who made the recommendation, said the action was needed to counter the effects of climate change.

Scientists say the reef has suffered major coral bleaching events caused by severe marine heatwaves.