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SBS Australia
6 days ago
- General
- SBS Australia
Murujuga has been placed on the World Heritage list, but pollution concerns remain
More than a million pieces of ancient rock art have secured World Heritage status in a bittersweet listing for Traditional Custodians, scientists and environmentalists, who are fearful nearby industrial activity is damaging the engravings. The Murujuga rock art landscape on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a heritage site late last week after intense lobbying by the federal government. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt was accompanied to the UNESCO meeting in Paris by representatives from the Western Australian government and Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC). Murujuga contains the world's largest, densest and most diverse collection of petroglyphs, a type of rock art where the design is carved into the surface of the rock. Some are estimated to be more than 50,000 years old. They depict animals, plants and human figures and are visible due to the colour and contrast between the removed varnish layer and the underlying brighter weathered rind of the host rocks. The site was put forward to UNESCO for World Heritage listing in 2023, but the application was referred back in May over concerns nearby acid emissions, including those from Woodside's Burrup gas hub, were degrading the art. The peninsula in northwest WA near Karratha is home to two gas plants, a fertiliser plant and iron ore and salt export facilities. Senator Watt recently gave provisional approval for the Woodside North West Shelf project on the peninsula, which includes the Karratha gas plant, to continue operating until 2070. Custodians celebrate listing, while concerns remain over pollution Raelene Cooper, Murujuga custodian of the Mardudhunera people and founder of Save our Songlines, has been in Paris with other First Nations leaders pushing for Murujuga to be listed as a World Heritage site, but with the explicit intention of ensuring any listing comes with strict conditions to sufficiently manage industrial impacts on the site. 'My family and community have worked for many years for World Heritage protection for Murujuga's ancient rock art," she said. 'This is a momentous day for our old people and our future generations, to have Murujuga's outstanding universal heritage values recognised by the world. 'Our rock art tells the stories of our people, and maintains our Songlines and bloodline connection to our ngurra (Country)." Ms Cooper said while she was overjoyed about the World Heritage listing, she was deeply concerned about the pollution from surrounding heavy industry. Part of the government's lobbying efforts involved removing protections suggested by UNESCO's independent advisory body ICOMOS in May from the final approval. 'Fertiliser plants are still being built around our sacred sites and polluting gas plants will emit toxic acid on our rock art for another 50 years," she said. "But comments from World Heritage Committee members today send a clear signal to the Australian Government and Woodside that things need to change to prevent the ongoing desecration of Murujuga by polluting industry. "Global scrutiny will now be applied to what is happening at Murujuga. We will continue to fight for protection for this very special place, and the world is now aware of what we are up against.' Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, which represents the collective voice of the Ngarda-Ngarli (Traditional Owners and Custodians), said they were elated to see the Murujuga Cultural Landscape recognised. 'While today's inscription is recognition of the hard work that MAC has put in ... over the past two years, more importantly, it is recognition of the way our ancestors have managed this extraordinary landscape for over 50,000 years," said MAC Chair Peter Hicks. "World Heritage is the mechanism we will use to continue to do what we have always done: protect our culture for all future generations." But Ben Smith, Professor of Archaeology (World Rock Art), at the University of WA, said that unless pollution is drastically curbed, the rock art is at risk of serious degradation. "While I celebrate Murujuga receiving the well deserved status of being listed as a World Heritage site, the nature in which the Australian Government handled the scientific findings on industrial impacts on Murujuga during this process reveals the extent to which they will go to play down the impacts of our gas industry," he said. "The scientific data clearly demonstrated the advanced weathering of the Murujuga petroglyphs from heightened levels of certain airborne pollutants from the nearby Woodside gas processing facility, yet we saw this repeatedly dismissed by different levels of government, with graphs and data being manipulated to back up the narrative that no conditions were required for the listing. "One only hopes that Murujuga's listing as a World Heritage Site spurs the government to no longer shirk their responsibility to conserve and protect this globally significant rock art site, and we see proper measures put in place to stop the polluting gas industry from degrading our First Nations cultural heritage." Foundation of culture Ngarluma woman Samantha Walker wrote to the nominations unit at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the director of evaluation unit at ICOMOS, urging the WHC to list Murujuga as a world heritage site with specific recommendations to have independent bodies monitor and manage industrial pollution at Murujuga. "Murujuga is more than just rock art – it is who we are," she wrote. "Murujuga contains Songlines and stories that define our identities as First Nations people, connecting us to our Elders and people that have walked before us. "Murujuga is the foundation of our culture. "The health of Murujuga is the health of my people and the ngurra (Country) is crying out for help." Ms Walker said Murujuga is sacred, but also has a dark history due to colonisation and the Flying Foam Massacre of 1868. "That history of colonisation is being continued on by the way that government allows multi-billion-dollar industries to operate on Murujuga without having to obtain free, prior and informed consent or listen to the people whose Country this is," she said. Ms Walker also expressed her alarm at the Environment Minister's provisional approval to extend the lifetime of Woodside Energy's North West Shelf gas plant to 2070. "It is unfathomable to imagine the French Government approving industrial pollution at the site of the 17,000 plus year-old Lascaux cave paintings . "Why is there not more global outrage that Minister Watt and the Australian Government have given provisional approval for 40 more years of pollution that is damaging the 50,000 plus year-old Murujuga rock art on our Country?" Environmentalists were also concerned the Woodside project extension could cause further damage. 'The world is now watching," Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said. "The onus is on the Australian government to make sure the values recognised by UNESCO are not jeopardised by ongoing industrial pollution." As part of the immediate inscription, the Australian Government will provide a state of conservation report for consideration in 2027. Murujuga will become the second place in Australia recognised on the World Heritage List solely for its First Nations cultural heritage, following the listing of Budj Bim in 2019 . Senator Watt said it had been a great privilege to support the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Murujuga, who have protected the landscape for more than 50,000 years. 'The Australian Government is strongly committed to World Heritage and the protection of First Nations cultural heritage – and we will ensure this outstanding place is protected now and for future generations,' he said. A Woodside spokesperson said the company had been a "proud supporter" of the World Heritage nomination and assessment process and they looked forward to continuing to work closely with MAC on the continued protection and management of this globally significant area. UNESCO added several other sites to its list, including the Xixia Imperial Tombs in China and the Faya Palaeolandscape in the United Arab Emirates.
ABC News
6 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Murujuga gets World Heritage listing
The ancient rock art of Murujuga, on Western Australia's Burrup peninsula, will be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site after the federal government intervened to get a long-term campaign for listing over the line. Despite the outcome, some traditional custodians still hold concerns for the future of the over one million petroglyphs.
Bloomberg
12-07-2025
- Science
- Bloomberg
Australian Rock Art Site Near LNG Hub Gets World Heritage Status
The United Nations has granted World Heritage status to an ancient Aboriginal rock art site in Australia that's close to an industrial gas hub, a development that will require the government to protect the cultural area. The Murujuga site, located on the Burrup Peninsula in northwest Australia, contains the largest collection of rock art in the world. Covering around 100,000 hectares, it has more than 1 million engravings known as petroglyphs with depictions of animals, plants — and perhaps the oldest depiction of a human face.
Al Jazeera
11-07-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
Ancient Aboriginal rock art, African sites make UNESCO World Heritage list
The United Nations cultural organisation has added a remote Aboriginal site featuring one million carvings that potentially date back 50,000 years to its World Heritage list. Located on the Burrup peninsula in Western Australia, Murujuga is home to the Mardudunera people, who declared themselves 'overjoyed' when UNESCO gave the ancient site a coveted place on its list on Friday. 'These carvings are what our ancestors left here for us to learn and keep their knowledge and keep our culture thriving through these sacred sites,' said Mark Clifton, a member of the Aboriginal delegation meeting with UNESCO representatives in Paris. Environmental and Indigenous organisations argue that the presence of mining groups emitting industrial emissions has already caused damage to the ancient site. Benjamin Smith, a rock art specialist at the University of Western Australia, said Murujuga was 'possibly the most important rock art site in the world', but that mining activity was causing the rock art to 'break down'. 'We should be looking after it,' he said. Australian company Woodside Energy, which operates an industrial complex in the area, told news agency AFP that it recognised Murujuga as 'one of Australia's most culturally significant landscapes' and that it was taking 'proactive steps … to ensure we manage our impacts responsibly'. Delegation leader Raelene Cooper said the UNESCO listing sent 'a clear signal to the Australian Government and Woodside that things need to change'. Making the UNESCO's heritage list does not in itself trigger protection for a site, but can help pressure national governments into taking action. African heritage boosted Cameroon's Mandara Mountains and Malawi's Mount Mulanje were also added to the latest edition of the UNESCO World Heritage list. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has presented Africa as a priority during her two terms in office, although the continent remains underrepresented. The Diy-Gid-Biy landscape of the Mandara Mountains, in the far north of Cameroon, consists of archaeological sites, probably created between the 12th and 17th centuries. Malawi's Mount Mulanje, in the south of the country, is considered a sacred place inhabited by gods, spirits and ancestors. UNESCO is also considering applications from two other African countries, namely the Gola Tiwai forests in Sierra Leone and the biosphere reserve of the Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau. On Friday, UNESCO also listed three notorious Cambodian torture and execution sites used by the Khmer Rouge regime to perpetrate genocide 50 years ago.
France 24
11-07-2025
- France 24
Australia's Aboriginals ask UNESCO to protect ancient carvings site
The World Heritage Committee at UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural organisation, has been deliberating since the start of the week on what sites to include in the latest edition of the body's world heritage list. Among the dozens of sites under consideration is Murujuga, a remote area in the state of Western Australia that according to estimates houses around one million petroglyphs —-carvings that could date back 50,000 years. "It's possibly the most important rock art site in the world," said Benjamin Smith, a rock art specialist at the University of Western Australia. "We should be looking after it." The site is located on the Burrup peninsula, home to the Mardudunera people, and under threat from nearby mining developments. Making the UNESCO's heritage list often sparks a lucrative tourism drive, and can unlock funding for the preservation of sites. It does not in itself trigger protection for a site, but can help pressure national governments into taking action. "It's absolutely crucial that the Australian government takes it more seriously and regulates industrial pollution in that area more carefully," Smith said. Giant mining corporations have been active in the resource-rich Pilbara region for decades. 'Keep our culture thriving' Australian company Woodside Energy operates the North West Shelf, an industrial complex that includes offshore platforms, undersea pipelines, and hydrocarbon processing facilities. The project consistently ranks among Australia's five largest emitters of greenhouse gas, according to figures from the country's Clean Energy Regulator. "These carvings are what our ancestors left here for us to learn and keep their knowledge and keep our culture thriving through these sacred sites," said Mark Clifton, a member of the three-person delegation meeting with UNESCO representatives. "This is why I am here." Environmental and indigenous organisations argue the presence of mining groups has already caused damage with industrial emissions. They are "creating hundreds of holes in the surface. And that is causing the surfaces with the rock art to break down," Smith said. In an emailed statement to AFP, Woodside Energy said it recognises Murujuga as "one of Australia's most culturally significant landscapes". It added that, according to independent peer-reviewed studies, "responsible operations" could help protect the heritage. Woodside had taken "proactive steps", it said, "to ensure we manage our impacts responsibly". In May, the Australian government extended the operating licence for the liquefied gas plant by 40 years, with conditions. Australia insists that extending the plant -- which each year emits millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas -- does not tarnish a pledge to reach net zero by 2050. 'Measures of protection' But activists, saying the government is not taking their concerns seriously enough, demand that UNESCO make any decision to put the site on the world heritage list contingent on the government offering adequate protection. Delegation leader Raelene Cooper told AFP she wanted guarantees. "There needs to be, at the highest level, safeguards and measures of protection," she said. The Australian government has sent a separate delegation to Paris, also comprising members of the region's Aboriginal population, to push for the site's recognition. Australia's strong presence at the heritage committee meeting "is a meaningful opportunity to support the protection and conservation of some of the world's most important cultural and natural sites," Environment Minister Murray Watt said. Icomos, a non-governmental organisation partnering with UNESCO, said it was urgent for the Australian government to oversee "the complete elimination of harmful acidic emissions that currently affect the petroglyphs". © 2025 AFP
