UNESCO to judge management of Australia's Great Barrier Reef

SYDNEY - United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will release a draft ruling Friday on whether to list the Great Barrier Reef as in danger in a critical decision for Australia's management of the world's largest coral reef.

The recommendations about the 2,300 kilometer long reef system are to be heard by the United Nation's world heritage committee next month.

If the reef is declared in danger, it would introduce new levels of international scrutiny.

But Australian governments on several levels are confident current management policies are correct.