A UN-backed mission has recommended that the Great Barrier Reef, the world's most significant coral reef system, should be put on a list of world heritage sites in danger.

The report, written by representatives from UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, follows a 10-day trip in March aimed at judging the ongoing effect of pollution and climate change on what was described as a globally outstanding and significant site in 1981.

Its authors found that while "considerable work" had been produced in researching and tackling such issues, it had been too slow, as farming activity and the growing threats of climate change continue to damage water quality in the reef.

"The mission team concludes that the property is faced with major threats that could have deleterious effects on its inherent characteristics and therefore meets the criteria for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger," the report says.

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The document is the latest instalment in a long saga over whether the reef should join a list of other world heritage sites that are "in danger" after Australia's former government successfully lobbied against the reef joining the UNESCO list in 2021.

After weighing responses from the Queensland and federal governments to the document, the UN agency will make a formal recommendation to the world heritage committee before its next meeting in 2023. 

The mission makes 10 high-priority recommendations that they say have to be addressed "with utmost urgency," which would "drastically improve [Australia's] ability to ensure and advance the conservation of the property."

This includes repurposing grazing land near the reef, requiring new dam projects "to show clear alignment with water quality improvement," and significantly improving the eco-friendly credentials of sugarcane and banana farming in the area.

The authors add 12 additional recommendations that they say would further strengthen the resilience of the property in the face of climate change.

Rising ocean temperatures threaten the reef due to the widespread bleaching of corals, which took place in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022.

Scientists fear that the reef could see similar bleaching again this summer.

Australia's Reef 2050 plan has laid out a detailed program for preserving the reef, while the federal Albanese government announced a $1.2 billion fund last month aimed at funding research and work to improve water quality and protect the coral.

However, the report said that despite "the unparalleled science and management efforts made by [Australia] in recent years, the [outstanding universal value] of the property is significantly impacted by climate change factors."

It concluded that the government also needed to make clear commitments "to reduce greenhouse emissions consistent with the efforts required to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels."