Authorities admit guilt over 'heartbreaking' damage to sacred site: 'This place needs to be healed'
Park authorities exist to protect green spaces and vital ecosystems, but sometimes, they get things very wrong.
In Australia, traditional groups have fought back after Parks Australia built a walkway over sacred rock art near Gunlom Falls in Kakadu National Park.
National Indigenous Times reported Parks Australia admitted criminal liability after the organization's actions in 2019, and it has now applied for an authority certificate to work with Aboriginal groups to set things right.
Citing Junggayi (traditional policeman) Joseph Markham, National Indigenous Times detailed that "Gunlom Falls sits at the bottom of Buladjang (Sickness Country), where the Bula creation spirit sleeps."
"[Markham said] the men's site under Jawoyn law is forbidden for women but when the walkway was built over it, not only did it disturb Bula, it risked making women and children sick when they visited Gunlom Falls."
Despite working alongside Parks Australia and coming to an agreement that any plans would be built around and above the sacred site, clan groups were devastated to discover that the area of construction had been changed by a project manager who "did not understand the significance of [the walkway's] route."
Rachael Willika, a Bolmo traditional owner, told the National Indigenous Times that Parks Australia "shattered" her spirit, noting that the organization needs to pay a "big price" for the damage caused.
"So that place we need it to be healed," she said in court. "This place needs to be healed. This country needs to be healed."
According to the Guardian, Parks Australia has been ordered to pay a $200,000 AUD fine for the walkway deviation. This is in addition to the $500,000 in compensation that traditional owners need to receive for lost earnings after the park was closed to tourists for five years since 2019 amid legal proceedings.
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Park groups need to be mindful of how construction activity can impact the local community and the wider ecosystem. But we all need to consider our actions, too.
That means respecting natural areas and leaving them as good as we found them — or better. Littering, vandalism, destruction of ancient art, and disturbing wildlife are all examples of things that should not be tolerated and that should be called out when we see them happening.
Respecting Indigenous groups and nature is essential to ensure we can all live in harmony and continue to enjoy the many benefits that time outdoors can bring.
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