push for burrup site to get unesco

8/17/2019 Push for Burrup Site to Get UNESCO

1/5

Push for Burrup site to get UNESCO heritage statusANGUS SARGENT

UPDATED SUN MAY 01 20:10:01 EST 2016

PHOTO Archaeologist Jo McDonald on Enderby Island in the Dampier Archipelago with an ancient rockcarving of a fish.

ABC NEWS: ANGUS SAR GENT

Archaeologists and traditional owners are calling for an Indigenous are a in W esternAustralia's north to become the first cultural site in Australia to be nominated forUNESCO World Heritage status.

The Dampier Archipelago contains some of the oldest rock art in the world, in a worldwhere human occupation dates back almost 50,000 years.

As the mining boom winds down and local jobs dry up, tourism is seen by many in

NEWS HOME

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/7327920-4x3-700x525.jpghttp://whatsapp//send?text=Push%20for%20Burrup%20site%20to%20get%20UNESCO%20heritage%20status%20http%3A%2F%2Fmobile.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2016-05-01%2Fcall-for-burrup-site-to-be-nominated-for-unesco-heritage-status%2F7327790https://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2016-05-01%2Fcall-for-burrup-site-to-be-nominated-for-unesco-heritage-status%2F7327790&text=Push%20for%20Burrup%20site%20to%20get%20UNESCO%20heritage%20status&via=%40abcnewshttp://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=Push+for+Burrup+site+to+get+UNESCO+heritage+status&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww.abc.net.au%2fnews%2f2016-05-01%2fcall-for-burrup-site-to-be-nominated-for-unesco-heritage-status%2f7327790mailto:?subject=Push%20for%20Burrup%20site%20to%20get%20UNESCO%20heritage%20status&body=http%3a%2f%2fwww.abc.net.au%2fnews%2f2016-05-01%2fcall-for-burrup-site-to-be-nominated-for-unesco-heritage-status%2f7327790http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/7199706


2/5

the north as a key area of growth.

Local Indigenous tour operator Clinton Walker said the nomination would go a longway to promoting the Pilbara as a tourist destination.

"I think it is a significant step to help my business grow, and any other businesseswho want to start up in tourism because it will enable us more support and morerecognition," he said.

"It has so much rock art there and history, and we want it to be world-recognised."

Heritage protection 'overdue'

The Archipelago has national heritage protection, however to qualify for WorldHeritage status a site must satisfy one of 10 criteria set out by the World HeritageCommittee.

Archaeologist Jo McDonald has spent the past ten years researching and dating rockcarvings both on the Burrup Peninsula and on islands in the Archipelago, withassistance and guidance from rangers from the local Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation.

She said the area already satisfied four of the requirements.

"It's really overdue that Western Australia, and Australia in fact, had an Indigenoussite listed on the World Heritage List (WHL)," she said.

"Australia has a number of WHL places that have been listed for their natural and

PHOTO The Dampier Archipelago contains some of the oldest rock art in the world.ABC NEWS

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-01/ancient-rock-carvings-in-the-pilbara/7373678


3/5

SHARE

cultural values. However, we have no Indigenous places that have been recognised

for their cultural and scientific values, and this would be one of those locations."

Karratha Mayor Peter Long said a World Heritage listing would be an enormous boostfor the local economy.

"It would make us recognised worldwide and would help tourism a great deal," hesaid.

"There's more than a million petroglyphs [rock carvings] in that region and it's uniquealong the whole coast in terms of vegetation, so it's got so much opportunity there forus," he said.

The State Government must support any nomination of a site in order for the FederalGovernment to present it the World Heritage Committee.

In a statement, Environment Minister Albert Jacob did not comment on the possibilityof World Heritage nomination, but said he supported current protections in place forthe area.

POSTED SUN MAY 01 09:10:50 EST 2016

MORE STORIES

Grand final joy at last for Reds as wait goes on for the Wanderers

'Don't stay, get out': Woman set alight by boyfriend warns others

Morrison to cut superannuation tax concessions for wealthy

'If I have to, I will go to jail for it': Call to scrap ABCC bill at May Day rally

http://whatsapp//send?text=Push%20for%20Burrup%20site%20to%20get%20UNESCO%20heritage%20status%20http%3A%2F%2Fmobile.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2016-05-01%2Fcall-for-burrup-site-to-be-nominated-for-unesco-heritage-status%2F7327790https://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2016-05-01%2Fcall-for-burrup-site-to-be-nominated-for-unesco-heritage-status%2F7327790&text=Push%20for%20Burrup%20site%20to%20get%20UNESCO%20heritage%20status&via=%40abcnewshttp://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?t=Push+for+Burrup+site+to+get+UNESCO+heritage+status&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww.abc.net.au%2fnews%2f2016-05-01%2fcall-for-burrup-site-to-be-nominated-for-unesco-heritage-status%2f7327790mailto:?subject=Push%20for%20Burrup%20site%20to%20get%20UNESCO%20heritage%20status&body=http%3a%2f%2fwww.abc.net.au%2fnews%2f2016-05-01%2fcall-for-burrup-site-to-be-nominated-for-unesco-heritage-status%2f7327790


4/5

Home Just In

Australia World

Analysis & Opinion Business

Sport Fact Check

MORE FROM ABC NEWS

Education Union accuses Government of 'walking away from Gonski'

Four dead, more than a dozen injured in Turkey attacks

Woman injured in Bankstown shooting an 'innocent bystander'

Herpes virus to bring 'carp-ageddon' to Murray River pest, Pyne says

'Obama out': US President roasts Trump in 'mic drop' speech

French PM headed to Australia for talks with Turnbull after subs deal

Survivor pulled from rubble two weeks after Ecuador quake

Doctor charged with murdering his mother remanded in custody

90pc of Snowy Mountain brumby population to be culled over next 20 years

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/factcheck/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/sport/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/business/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/thedrum/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/world/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/australia/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/justin/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/


5/5

Live Streams Video

Photos Upload

Entertainment Subscribe

Rural More >

ABC News Just In

Australia World News

Business Entertainment

Sport Analysis & Opinion

Weather Blogs

Topics Archive

Corrections & Clarifications

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyContact Us

© 2016 ABC

Top of page

Change to standard view
http://-/?-http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-01/call-for-burrup-site-to-be-nominated-for-unesco-heritage-status/7327790?pfm=mshttp://www.abc.net.au/conditions.htm#UseOfContenthttp://www.abc.net.au/contact/http://about.abc.net.au/abc-privacy-policy/http://www.abc.net.au/conditions.htmhttp://mobile.abc.net.au/news/corrections/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/archive/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/topics/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/blogs/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/weather/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/thedrum/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/sport/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/entertainment/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/business/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/world/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/australia/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/justin/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/more/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/rural/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/alerts/subscribe/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/entertainment/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/upload/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/photos/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/video/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/live/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/factcheck/http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/sport/

push for burrup site to get unesco

Documents