General News
13 May, 2025
Great(est) Barrier Reef
THE Great Barrier Reef has been nominated for a lifetime achievement award in the United Nations environment program’s highly regarded ‘Champions of the Earth’ environmental awards.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Reef Guardian councils have collaborated with the communities of the Great Barrier Reef, including Traditional Owners, marine biologists, the tourism industry and Reef Guardian schools to nominate the World Heritage Area as the first non-human recipient of the award.
Announcing the nomination on World Earth Day (April 22), Reef Guardian Council’s chairman Jeff Baines said the Great Barrier Reef inspired greatness and had a profound impact on both the environment and on the people who visited it.
“The Great Barrier Reef is hands-down the best candidate for a lifetime achievement award,” he said.
“A catalyst for environmental initiatives, the Great Barrier Reef supports First Nations communities, protects marine life and teaches future generations.
“We are using the voices of the communities of the Great Barrier Reef to persuade the United Nations environment program to crown the Great Barrier Reef as the first non-human recipient of the lifetime achievement award in recognition of almost 10,000 years of positive environmental impact.
“Sir David Attenborough is among the environmental titans to previously win this award, which is given to a living individual who has demonstrated decades of impact in protecting the earth and its inhabitants.
“Only living individuals can win and an individual is defined as a distinct entity, so using UNESCO’s definition of the Great Barrier Reef as a globally outstanding and significant entity, we argue that the Great Barrier Reef meets the entry requirements.”
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer Mark Olsen said the tourism industry had thrown its weight behind the nomination “because we see the impact the Great Barrier Reef has on individuals every day – it really is life changing for many people who visit and finally understand how important this World Heritage area is for biodiversity, Indigenous culture and jobs”.
Great Barrier Reef Foundation managing director Anna Marsden said the Reef wasn’t just an environmental icon – “it’s a living entity that has quietly nurtured life for millennia”.
“This is our moment to give back and honour its contribution with the recognition it deserves while also raising awareness of the ongoing work being done to protect its beauty and biodiversity,” she said.
“By nominating the Great Barrier Reef for this award, we are inviting the world to celebrate how it connects people from across the globe, from schoolchildren and scientists to Traditional Owners and international visitors – and the power it holds to drive change.”
Tourism and Events Queensland chief executive officer Craig Davidson said the Reef was “a worthy candidate for this prestigious award’.
“As the world’s largest coral reef system, stretching over 2300km along the Queensland coast and home to a staggering diversity of marine life, it is the Earth’s most extraordinary living entity,” he said.
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