Cyclone Debbie that left a trail of destruction in north-east Australia and New Zealand has also damaged one of the few healthy sections of the Great Barrier Reef to have escaped large-scale bleaching, scientists said on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTA cyclone that left a trail of destruction in northeast Australia and New Zealand has also damaged one of the few healthy sections of the Great Barrier Reef to have escaped large scale bleaching, scientists said on Monday. The World Heritage site has suffered a second bleaching event in 12 months, triggered by unseasonably warm waters, ARC added. Repeated damage could prompt UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee to reconsider a 2015 decision not to put the Great Barrier Reef on its “in danger” list. Tourists drawn to the unique attraction spend A$5.2 billion ($3.9 billion) each year, a 2013 Deloitte Access Economics report estimated.

Source: The Hindu April 10, 2017 04:23 UTC