UNESCO Rejects Australian Bid for World Heritage Listing, Wants Stricter Safeguards Against Industrial Impact
The Australian government's bid to have an area of rock art in Western Australia recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site has suffered a setback.
According to a draft decision (
Murujuga is home to more than a million petroglyphs, or rock carvings, created by Aboriginal peoples with a cultural history dating back up to 50,000 years.
The site is located in the Burrup Peninsula, which also houses Woodside's Karratha Gas Plant–one of the world's largest liquid natural gas facilities.
There have been concerns from the local Aboriginal community and scientists about the impact of industrial development over the past 60 years on Murujuga.
Some research (
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However, a recent report (
World Heritage Committee's Draft Decision
In rejecting Australia's bid, the Committee said it wanted the country to complete ongoing studies on the impact of local industry activities on the petroglyphs, and remove the claim that acidic emissions that damage the site.
The Committee also highlighted the need for the Australian government to prevent industrial development near the nominated site, and develop a decommissioning and rehabilitation plan for existing industrial activities.
The Committee then recommended Australia implement measures to protect the nominated heritage site and monitor the impacts of ports and industry activities.
The entrance to Woodside Petroleum's Pluto development on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia, on June 17, 2008.
Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images
Australian Government Says It Is Disappointed
While Environment Minister Murray Watt pointed out that a final decision would not be made until July, he expressed disappointment with the decision.
'It is disappointing that the draft decision is heavily influenced by claims made in the media and correspondence from non-government organisations, rather than scientific and other expert evidence,' he said.
'It is also disappointing that traditional custodians were not consulted or given an opportunity to respond to proposed recommendations, despite their strong desire for World Heritage listing.'
Watt noted that Murujuga deserved to be recognised as a World Heritage site due to the Aboriginal community's effort to protect and manage the landscape over the past 50,000 years.
Despite the setback, the minister said the Australian government would continue to work with the Committee to address the 'factual inaccuracies' impacting its decision.
'We will strongly advocate to the World Heritage Committee to reconsider the nomination when it meets,' he said.
Gas and World Heritage Site Can't Coexist: Environmental Group
Meanwhile, Piper Rollins, a climate campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the Committee's draft decision showed that the international body had identified Woodside's gas hub as a primary risk to the Murujuga rock art.
'UNESCO is essentially saying to the Albanese government: you can't have your cake and eat it,'
'You are going to have to choose between World Heritage or Woodside's toxic gas extension. The two cannot coexist.'
In a related development, Watt has approved
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