Australia’s environment minister has used a nature summit in Canada to lobby against an in-danger listing for the Great Barrier Reef.

Tanya Plibersek has engaged with officials from UNESCO on the sidelines of the COP15 conference in Montreal, where a new global pact to protect nature is being hammered out.

She reiterated the government’s strong objection to an in-danger listing for the World Heritage-listed site, saying it’s not right to single out one ecosystem when climate change is a universal threat.

“I’ve spoken to UNESCO during this conference and made very clear that we understand that globally, our oceans are threatened by climate change, our landscapes, our environment as a whole, is threatened by climate change,” she said.

“We don’t see an argument for singling out the Great Barrier Reef for an in-danger listing because no one takes protecting the reef more seriously than we do, as Australians.”

A UN mission that toured the reef in March, when the Morrison government was still in power, released its long-awaited report last month, saying the reef should be listed as a World Heritage site in danger.

It found Australia’s efforts have not been enough to protect the reef from climate change, poor water quality, harmful fishing activities and other threats.

Speaking from the COP15 conference, Ms Plibersek said the new Labor government was acting on climate change in a way the Morrison government refused to.

“One of the first acts of our new government was to legislate stronger ambition on climate change. So we are prepared to legislate, we are prepared to invest to protect the reef,” she said.

“We don’t need anyone to tell us its necessary to protect this most beautiful natural phenomenon.”

She also pointed to investments in addressing water quality and crown-of-thorns starfish, which prey on coral polyps.

A decision on whether to inscribe the reef on the list of World Heritage sites in danger will require the backing of the World Heritage Committee when it meets next year.