DHAKA: The outlook for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is poor despite conservation efforts, with further deterioration expected in coming years, a report says.

The bleak forecast came in a five-yearly report released by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Climate change remained the biggest threat to the site, the report said.

But poor water quality from land-based run-off, coastal development and fishing also posed challenges, it said.

‘Even with the recent management initiatives to reduce threats and improve resilience, the overall outlook for the Great Barrier Reef is poor, has worsened since 2009 and is expected to further deteriorate,’ the report released on Tuesday said.

Greater reduction of all threats at local and regional levels was needed to stop the decline and improve the reef’s ability to recover, it said, the BBC publishes this report on Wednesday.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral structure, rich in marine life.

It stretches for more than 2,600km along Australia’s eastern coast, containing 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc.

BDST: 1519 HRS, AUG 13, 2014