Overview

• UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee unanimously inscribed Murujuga Cultural Landscape in Paris and set a 2027 deadline for reporting on conservation and emission controls.
• The Burrup Peninsula and Dampier archipelago encompass nearly 100,000 hectares with over one million petroglyphs, yet they remain bordered by gas, fertiliser and mining operations sanctioned until 2070.
• Environment Minister Murray Watt secured a late amendment in Paris that softened language on halting new industry while mandating ongoing monitoring and research into pollutant impacts.
• Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation hailed the listing’s recognition of ancestral stewardship, while Save Our Songlines has launched legal action to block further industrial expansion.
• The federal and Western Australian governments are now responsible for implementing a strategic management framework to enforce emission controls and safeguard the rock art under UNESCO conditions.