Environmental groups have warned Australian governments that a draft decision by UNESCO not to place the Great Barrier Reef on the World Heritage "in danger" list shouldn't be seen as a reprieve.
The draft decision from the United Nations' conservation agency states its concern over the outlook for the reef and requires Australia to give a progress report on its commitments by December 1, 2016.
The Queensland government was quick to welcome Friday's decision.
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said the Palaszczuk Labor government was elected with a mandate to save the reef.
"This was a key election promise and that is why we committed $100 million over five years towards water quality initiatives to help achieve these targets," she said in a statement.
Mining and tourism groups were also happy with UNESCO's decision.
The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) said listing the reef as being "in danger" would have been catastrophic for the tourism industry, discouraging tourists and threatening research programs.
However whether the draft decision is accepted is another matter. It will be decided by the 21 nations on UNESCO's World Heritage Committee at a meeting in Germany in a few weeks.
Greenpeace said it is a mistake to think of this decision as a reprieve for the reef.
"It is not a reprieve - it is a big red flag from UNESCO," Greenpeace Australia Reef campaigner Shani Tager said.
"UNESCO has now also sent a clear signal that the Abbott government must fully protect the Great Barrier Reef and that means a reprieve from coal expansion."
Greenpeace said it is calling on the federal government "to stop trying to prop up a dying coal industry and remove port expansion loopholes from the Reef 2050 plan", as well as invest in a sustainable energy industry.
WWF-Australia chief executive Dermot O'Gorman was also keen to point out the measures demanded of Australia in the draft decision.
"The Australian and Queensland governments must now deliver on their promises to better protect the Reef," Mr O'Gorman said in a statement.
The Queensland Resources Council said the UNESCO recommendation recognises Australia's huge strides in the management of the site.
"Pleasingly, the draft recommendation on the GBR (Great Barrier Reef) issued tonight in Paris is based on facts and science and was not diverted by the outrageous lies and distortions of certain activist organisations that have been campaigning relentlessly for the GBR to be placed on the 'in danger' list of world heritage properties," council chief executive Michael Roche said.
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