Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program releases interim report into potential emissions damage

Popular theories about industry emissions damaging ancient rock art in Western Australia's Pilbara region are yet to be conclusively proven, according to a new report. Key points: An interim report into impact of emissions on rock art has been released The Murujuga region is home to more than one million petroglyphs The final report on the rock art monitoring will be released by 2026 A team of 55 researchers has been studying the impact of emissions from major gas and fertiliser plants on petroglyphs as part of a $27 million Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program. But the interpretation of previous studies has been debated and in 2019, the state government signed a partnership agreement with Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation to support the implementation of the rock art monitoring program. The rock art management program summary report said geochemical studies had identified "compositional and structural variations in the rock surface". Planning for the future The rock art monitoring program will also be used to support a UNESCO world heritage listing nomination for the Murujuga region, to show the environment is being properly protected and managed.