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Is Australia's Ayers Rock closing to climbers?
Uluru, which stands 1,135 feet in height and more than six miles in circumference, is considered sacred ground by the aboriginal tribes that inhabit the area, and they have long opposed climbing its walls. The park system says that 30 people have died while climbing the Rock over the years and that the climbing routes cause increased erosion which has a direct impact on the plant and animal life in the region, which happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If adopted, the plan would be phased in over a ten year period to give the tourism industry a chance to develop alternative activities for visitors. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which surrounds Ayers Rock, draws roughly 350,000 visitors each year, and according to the park system, about 38% of which come to climb. A group that represents a considerable amount of revenue for the park and surrounding communities.
Gallery: Work and play in Queensland: Aborginial Nature Tour
The plan is now open for public comment over the next two months before it is passed on to the Parliament for consideration. Not everyone is in favor of the proposed changes however, as the Ministry for Tourism in the Northern Territory, the state in which the park falls, has gone on record as saying that they would like to see climbing continue to be allowed in some form.
While it looks like climbing will be allowed to continue for the foreseeable future, if "Climbing Ayers Rock" is on your life list, you may want to plan a trip to Australia soon.
Filed under: Activism, Climbing, Arts and Culture, History, Oceania, Australia, Ecotourism
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Melinda Sandberg Jul 12th 2009 5:06PM
People are part of the planet's life forms, we are not a virus infecting the landscape. We do have the ability to reason. This gives us rights and responsibilities for the life forms with which we share the planet. There are ways to compromise and protect the resources and restrain agressive development without taking the mountain away from the people that live there.
While I think the aboriginal tribes' beliefs should be respected, the reality is they are no longer the sole inhabitants of the land. There are others who love and respect Australia in their own way. The San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona are considered holy by the Navajo and Hopi tribes. They don't like the ski resorts. Compromises have been made and continue to be made to accomodate both the tribes and the other citizens of Arizona.
UNESCO's designation of Uluru as a World Heritage Site should never interfere with the soverign right of Australia's inhabitants to decide for themselves what is best for the unique creation. They have the stewardship and the right to make the decision without any interference from outsiders. This goes for all "World Heritage Sites."
Patti Jul 12th 2009 5:35PM
The caves at the Chumash Center in Thousand Oaks, California have ancient drawings that have been damaged by graffiti. Sadly, most of the graffiti comes from the very descendents of the people that drew petroglyphs.
That being said, I feel that if I come to someone else's country, I am a guest, not an invader.
Enough has been taken from aboriginal peoples all over the world.
It's time to respect other's beliefs and stop taking. If they damage it themselves, that's on them.
Chuck Jul 12th 2009 6:05PM
Similar problem in Sedona. The new world folks seem to think Bell Rock is some kind of cosmic center of the universe and they want to climb to the top like they are getting somewhere. Ha...The result has been a wearing of paths up Bell rock damaging its natural beauty and any plant life along the way. This reminds me of children who have to put a toy in their mouths first to see if it is edible. Leave well enough alone and restore the natural beauty of this wonderful sight. Please stay off Bell Rock.
mesaman Jul 12th 2009 6:10PM
Good idea, you and I both are responsible humans, it's the other 99.99 % we have to put up with. Example; greenfeces and their political statement at the Mount Rushmore National Monument last week. Unfortunately the homo sapiens moronicas are far more numerous than our ability to control them, thus are freedoms are restricted by their infantile expression.