The Great Barrier Reef is in the worst state it's been in since records began and will be "pretty ugly" within 40 years, Australian scientists say.

 

A Senate committee is investigating how the Australian and Queensland governments have managed the reef, with UNESCO to decide next year whether to list it as a world heritage site in danger.

 

Scientists have told the committee the reef is facing threats from coastal development, such as a massive port-related dredging project at Abbot Point, farm runoff and poor water quality. The reef cannot rejuvenate after times of stress as it once did, the scientists say.

 

The Australian Coral Reef Society – the oldest organization in the world that studies coral reefs – says coral cover has halved since the 1980s, when the reef was listed as a world heritage asset.

 

By 2050 there will be fewer fish and large swaths of seaweed where complex coral structures once thrived, society president Peter Mumby said.

 

 

PHOTO: The Great Barrier Reef is facing threats from coastal development, such as a massive port-related dredging project at Abbot Point, farm run-off and poor water quality. Photograph: Brandon D Cole/Corbis