Weve been thinking about this for a very long time. Tourism can often peacefully coexist with Aboriginal land, but sometimes is a threat to Indigenous interests. "People right around the world they just come and climb it. This is a very important place nyangatja panya. While the agreement required the park to be leased to the Australian Parks and Wildlife Services under a co-management arrangement, the handover was a symbolic high point for land rights. Camels are believed to be one of the main causes of the reduction of the desert quandong plant species, an important bush food. Just last year, a Japanese tourist died while attempting to ascend one of the steepest parts of the rock. There was joy when signs that had asked visitors not to walk up Uluru were removed by park rangers at the base of the big red rock. The natural and cultural features of this area, which have placed it on the World Heritage List, are protected. With this exponential growth, there is a need to harness this potential to benefit all stakeholders involved, from local communities to global corporations. The impacts of tourist activities at Uluru are principally twofold: on the one hand, the heritage site generates significant revenue, most of which returns to the Aboriginal peoples and is greatly beneficial to their community; while on the other, human pollution and climbing the 340-metre-high rock creates dissent . The Anangu people work hard to protect their lengthy, fascinating history, and continue to live in the same way they did thousands of years ago. Each jurisdiction, including all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories (state), addresses bullying differently. You walk around, youll learn, understand. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation US, Inc. A ceremony to mark the return of Uluru to its traditional owners in 1985. prioritise economic over socio-cultural development. On busy days, the number can be in the hundreds. Some might be you know, tourism, government-ngka, no, leave it open, leave it Why? If we dont it could disappear completely in another 50 or 100 years. Introduced species compete for food and water with our native animals. We have been fortunate that many people have volunteered to help us with this work. Tourists are travelling to Uluru to climb the rock, against the wishes of the traditional owners, to get in before the practice is banned in October. That was me! But in 1950, a fire fed by fuel from 20 years of uninhibited growth burnt about a third of the parks vegetation. We work on the principle of mutual obligation, of working together, but this requires understanding and acceptance of the climb closure because of the sacred nature of this place. Ngapartji ngapartji panya government will understand, munta-uwa, what they saying. Introduced or feral animals do a lot of damage in Central Australia. Tjinguru nyaa kulintjaku you know I built a coca cola factory here. Wild mala are now extinct in the area, driven out by European settlement, changing fire regimes and feral predators. The BAP is an internationally recognised programme designed to protect and restore threatened species and habitats. They carry out interpretation and education programs, design programs to care for the natural and cultural resources of the park, carry out land and cultural management projects, day to day administration as well as staff training. There are two main vegetation groups in the park, one dominated by spinifex and one by mulga. Since 2005, we have been running a mala reintroduction program in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Across the country there were more than 500 Indigenous nations. ", Phil Mercer, BBC News at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. You have to think in these terms; to understand that country has meaning that needs to be respected. Find out more about how climate science helps Australians with the impacts of climate change. Uluru is an internationally recognised symbol of Australia attracting many people from overseas to come and visit and spend money in the area. Open Document. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is a beautiful but harsh environment. Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australias environment. It is a way to raise awareness of environmental values and it can serve as a tool to finance protection of natural areas and increase their economic importance. By far the most invasive weed we manage in the park is buffel grass. Please dont break our law, we need to be united and respect both. We are working together, white and black, equal. Tourism has impacted on the already existing, social, economic, cultural and environmental processes of the island. Uwa minga tjutangka wangkapai, always. If these two factors collide, uncontrolled wildfires will carry long distances through both types of vegetation, devastating plants and wildlife. Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock) is one such example. We welcome tourists here. The Europeans claimed this landmark as their own and took it out of the hands of the indigenous Australians. The government needs to respect what we are saying about our culture in the same way it expects us to abide by its laws. Over the past six decades, tourism has experienced continued expansion and diversification to become one of the largest and fastest-growing economic sectors in the world (http://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284418145). Department of Environment and Energy, 2017, Management Plan 2010-2020 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australian Government, accessed 13 March 2017,