Will the Great Barrier Reef be declared endangered by the UN?

The UN will release a draft ruling on whether it will add the Great Barrier Reef to its list of World Heritage sites that are “in danger”.

Australia faces a dent to its reputation and a potentially devastating blow to its tourism industry should one of the country’s most iconic natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef, be listed as “in danger” by the United Nations.

UNESCO, the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, will make a final decision on the move in June as international concern grows over the state of the reef.

The recommendations will inform a final decision by the UN’s world heritage committee next month, which, if in favour of declaring the reef in danger, would herald a new era of outside scrutiny of its care.

In 2010 a Chinese coal carrier ran aground in the Great Barrier Reef, provoking an international outcry. Since then, there has been renewed concern that development, particularly coal mining in Australia’s northeastern state of Queensland, could endanger the reef.

Environmental campaign group Greenpeace has led an international movement rallying to save the Great Barrier Reef by pressuring banks to withhold funding from mining projects that will increase shipping off the Queensland coast.

• The Great Barrier Reef includes 3,000 coral reefs and 600 islands
• It is the world’s largest marine park
• It receives about two million tourists each year.
• The region contributes A$6bn ($4.6bn; £3bn) a year to the Australian economy

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