CANBERRA - Australia's environment minister has commended the World Heritage Committee's decision not to list the Great Barrier Reef as in danger.

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Tanya Plibersek, minister for the environment and water, said in a statement on Friday that the decision at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi reflected efforts by the governments of Australia and the state of Queensland to protect the iconic reef.

The committee on Thursday agreed to adopt June's draft decision from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that the Great Barrier Reef not be placed on a list of heritage-listed sites considered "in danger."

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The decision recognized the increased action Australia has taken to protect the world's largest coral reef but asked for further progress reports in 2025 and 2026 on actions to protect and manage the reef.

Plibersek said in a joint statement with Nita Green, special envoy for the reef, Queensland Premier Steven Miles and the state's Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Leanne Linard, that there is more work to do to act on climate change and protect Australia's precious places.

"We are acting on climate change, improving local water quality, protecting our marine life, dealing with invasive species, and investing a record amount of money into reef programs," she said.

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"No one loves the Reef more than we do, no one is more determined to protect it than Australians."

The federal and state governments have invested a combined 2.2 billion Australian dollars (1.44 billion US dollars) in protecting the reef and have both committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.