UNESCO has granted World Heritage status to the Murujuga Cultural Landscape — an area of ancient aboriginal rock art in Western Australia that is older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza.
At the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, UNESCO member states unanimously voted to inscribe the Murujuga rock art on the World Heritage List.
Murujuga in the Pilbara region in WA’s north-west, has more than one million petroglyphs some dating back 50,000 years.
It is also home to the world’s oldest depiction of a human face.
In 2023, the Australian Government nominated the landscape for World Heritage Status, following decades of campaigning from indigenous groups for international recognition.
Traditional custodians from the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation and the Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt were in Paris for the decision.
They successfully campaigned for member states to go against a draft decision from advisors to the UN in May, which recommended the world heritage bid be referred back to Australia.
Belinda Churnside, one of the MAC board directors, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. (ABC: Adrian Wilson)
The recommendation raised concerns the rock art was being impacted by emissions from Woodside’s nearby gas project, which has been granted a 40-year extension by the federal government.
An amendment was moved by UNESCO member states on Friday for Australia to continue the ongoing research and ongoing monitoring on the impact of the industries on the petroglyphs and on the property.
Other traditional owners who travelled to Paris for the session had been pushing for more protections for the Murujuga site, including for the expansion of nearby industry to be stopped.
The North West Shelf gas project in northern Western Australia is expected in 2025. (ABC News: Charlie Mclean)
What is Murujuga?
The Murujuga Cultural Landscape is home to some of the planet’s oldest known rock art.
It is an area of ancient rocks in north west WA, that includes the Burrup Peninsula and 42 islands on the Dampier archipelago.
More than a million petroglyphs depict stories and cultural practices for more than 50,000 years.
The meaning behind Murujuga’s petroglyphs
For the Ngarda-Ngarli — the five language groups that are custodians of Murujuga — and Aboriginal people across the Pilbara, the rock art is the work of the creation spirits and a permanent reminder of the natural order of Lore.
The nominated area, spanning almost 100 thousand hectares, is also home to major gas and fertiliser plants which have been a source of contention in the lead-up to the decision.
Early warnings from UNESCO
An advisory body to UNESCO referred the nomination for World Heritage Status back to the Federal Government in a draft decision in May.
The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) found the state of the site’s conservation is under “major threat” due to the nearby presence of polluting industries.
“ICOMOS considers that the state of conservation is extremely vulnerable to industrial pollution”, the report said.
Murujuga is home to millions of rock carvings. (ABC News: Brendan Esposito)
While ICOMOS found the nomination had met the criteria for world heritage status, it urged the government to ensure the total removal of degrading acidic emissions and the prevention of further development of industrial developments in the area.
In response, the government said that recommendation was influenced by “factual inaccuracies”.
Mr Watt has lobbied to ambassadors from member countries to rally support to move an amendment during the meeting.
At the time, Mr Hicks had said MAC was “deeply disappointed” with the draft decision and set to work on recommendations from the report.
Now, he said he MAC is “elated” with UNESCO’s decision.
Peter Hicks, chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), said: “We are elated to see the Murujuga Cultural Landscape recognised for its Outstanding Universal Value,” said Mr Peter Hicks, Chair Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC).
“Throughout this Indigenous-led process, we have ensured the nomination reflected those aspirations for our Ngurra.
“Further, we have enjoyed the support of and worked in partnership with both the Western Australian and Federal Governments and we thank them for their efforts, respect and for undertaking their roles in this process without undermining Indigenous decision making.
“While today’s inscription is recognition of the hard work that MAC has put in to progressing this nomination 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.
“We are proud to continue that legacy.
“World Heritage is the mechanism we will use to continue to do what we have always done – protect our culture for all future generations.”
Rock art at Murujuga, showing a turtle. (ABC News: Brendan Esposito)
Can Murujuga exist alongside industry?
Several campaigns have been taking place for the Murujuga site to be put on the World Heritage list.
But there was disagreement on exactly what that should look like.
Pilbara traditional owner and Mardudhunera woman Raelene Cooper was also in Paris for the decision.
She is a former chair of MAC and founded the Save Our Songlines group, which has launched a legal bid to halt the federal government’s decision to extend Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project, to protect the Murujuga site.
While the Federal Government and MAC were lobbying for World Heritage status regardless of heavy industry nearby, Save Our Songlines does not believe the rock art can exist while gas plants are operating nearby.
Reacting to the site being granted World Heritage status, she said: “My family and community have worked for many years for World Heritage protection for Murujuga’s ancient rock art.
“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.
Murujuga rock art petroglyphs sit on the Burrup Peninsula and islands off the Dampier Archipelago. (ABC Pilbara: Alistair Bates)
“Today, Australia rewrote the World Heritage listing in the interests of the gas industry. Even though all the recommended protections were removed after concerted lobbying from the Australian government, we are still overjoyed to see Murujuga finally World Heritage listed by UNESCO.
“Meanwhile, 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. The final decision today falls well short of the protections that expert body ICOMOS has recommended.
“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.”