Historic Pollution, Not Current Emissions, Damaged Australia's Ancient Rock Art, Study Finds
A report from the Western Australia government links the damage to the largest ancient rock art collection globally to past industrial pollution rather than ongoing emissions. The Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program, a collaborative three-year research effort involving Curtin University and local Aboriginal community members, focused on one to two million petroglyphs located on the Burrup Peninsula and Dampier Archipelago. These engravings, created by the Ngarda-Ngarli people, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025. The investigation revealed increased rock porosity near industrial areas due to historical sulfur dioxide emissions, which have significantly decreased since the 1970s and '80s. Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn endorses the findings that industry and rock art can coexist with adequate air quality oversight.
Key facts
- The report was released by the Western Australia government.
- Research was conducted by Curtin University scientists and Aboriginal community members.
- The program is called the Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program.
- The rock art is located on the Burrup Peninsula and Dampier Archipelago in the Pilbara region.
- The petroglyphs number an estimated one to two million.
- The rock art was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025.
- Historic sulfur dioxide emissions are likely responsible for the damage.
- Sulfur dioxide emissions have declined sharply since the 1970s and '80s.
- No acid rain was detected during the observation period.
- The findings suggest industry and rock art can coexist with careful monitoring.
Entities
Artists
- Belinda Churnside
- Ben Mullins
- Katy Evans
- Nicola Armstrong
- Matthew Swinbourn
Institutions
- Curtin University
- Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation
- UNESCO
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
- West Australian
- The Conversation
Locations
- Western Australia
- Burrup Peninsula
- Dampier Archipelago
- Pilbara
- Australia