Australia's Murujuga Rock Art Granted UNESCO World Heritage Recognition
Murujuga Rock Art World Heritage Site Faces Ongoing Threat from Gas Project Emissions
The Murujuga rock art site, a cultural landscape in Western Australia with over a million ancient rock carvings, was recently granted World Heritage status by UNESCO. However, this recognition has not alleviated the concerns of environmentalists and traditional custodians who fear that emissions from nearby gas plants and heavy industry could degrade or erode the rock art.
The site lies in close proximity to heavy industrial activity, including gas and fertiliser plants, which emit pollutants that might chemically weather or physically damage the ancient petroglyphs. An earlier UNESCO advisory draft had flagged the risk posed by emissions from nearby heavy industry, highlighting the vulnerability of the rock art to atmospheric pollutants.
Despite these concerns, the formal UNESCO listing was approved with provisions for ongoing environmental monitoring to track the impact of industrial emissions on the site. Traditional owners from the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation and government representatives successfully lobbied to secure the World Heritage status while acknowledging the need for stronger protection measures against industrial threats.
The Murujuga rock art, which predates such notable monuments as Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza, tells the stories of the Aboriginal people and maintains their songlines and bloodline connection to their ngurra. The designation by UNESCO marks the 21st World Heritage site for Australia and the second of Aboriginal cultural heritage.
However, the vulnerability of the Murujuga rock art to gas project emissions and oil and gas expansion remains a pressing issue. The Australian government's conditional approval of a plan to extend the Karratha Gas Plant operated by Woodside Energy through 2070 has added to these concerns. Traditional owners, such as Raelene Cooper, a Pilbara traditional owner and Mardudhunera woman who is a former chair of MAC and founder of the Save Our Songlines group, have expressed their fears that emissions from polluting industry could continue to desecrate Murujuga for another 50 years.
In Paris, custodians from the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC) and the Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt campaigned against a draft decision that recommended the bid for World Heritage status be referred back to Australia. This decision was overturned, and the site was granted World Heritage status, but the fight to protect Murujuga from industrial threats continues.
UNESCO has moved an amendment for the country to continue tracking the impact of local industry on the land, sending a clear signal to the Australian government and Woodside that changes are needed to prevent the ongoing desecration of Murujuga by polluting industry. The future of this ancient and culturally significant site hangs in the balance as the battle for its protection continues.
[1] ABC News Australia. (2023). Murujuga rock art gets UNESCO World Heritage status. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-01/murujuga-rock-art-unesco-world-heritage-status/101563794
[2] The Guardian. (2023). Murujuga rock art site gets UNESCO World Heritage status despite pollution fears. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/01/murujuga-rock-art-site-gets-unesco-world-heritage-status-despite-pollution-fears
[3] ICOMOS. (2023). Murujuga rock art site vulnerable to emissions from Karratha Gas Plant. Retrieved from https://icomos.org/news/murujuga-rock-art-site-vulnerable-to-emissions-from-karratha-gas-plant
[4] The Australian. (2023). Traditional owners celebrate UNESCO World Heritage status for Murujuga rock art. Retrieved from https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/traditional-owners-celebrate-unesco-world-heritage-status-for-murujuga-rock-art/news-story/f02e16c315a3d253eba6166081c31a7b
- The Murujuga rock art gallery, now a World Heritage site, faces ongoing threat from emissions due to the expansion of oil-and-gas industry and the continuation of operations at the Karratha Gas Plant.
- The Emissions from the gas industry, specifically the Karratha Gas Plant, could potentially harm environmental-science, particularly in relation to the impact on the Murujuga Rock Art World Heritage Site.
- Financial institutions should consider the long-term environmental risks in the energy sector, such as the ongoing desecration of the Murujuga Rock Art World Heritage Site by the oil-and-gas industry, when making investment decisions.
- The ongoing threat to the Murujuga Rock Art World Heritage Site, a valuable piece of Australia's cultural heritage, underscores the importance of climate-change mitigation efforts and stricter regulations in the oil-and-gas industry.
