Uluru
Last year, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park board proposed a climbing ban on Uluru, a sacred indigenous rock in Australia’s central red desert. On Friday, however, the government vetoed the ban, allowing visitors to continue climbing the giant monolith commonly referred to as Ayers Rock.
Although Ayers is a world heritage listed rock, the ruling was a result of the formation’s impact on the country’s tourism industry. Every year, over 350,000 tourists visit Ayers; 100,000 choose to climb it.
According to Reuters:
“the proposed ban caused uproar in Australia’s tourism sector, coming at a time when the industry was under threat from the global financial crisis.”
Although it remains climbable for now, the government has entirely axed the opportunity for Uluru to become a protected stone. If one of the following three conditions is met, a climbing ban will be established.
“The three conditions were that the number of people climbing Uluru must drop from the current 38 percent of visitors to fewer than 20 percent, that the attraction of the climb must no longer be the primary reason visitors travel to Uluru, or that a range of new experiences be in place for visitors.”
With Ayers Rock being such a prominent attraction, hosting phenomenal sights, fantastic climbing, and rich cultural heritage, it’s difficult imagining any one of three preconditions being met any time soon. Due to that fact, regulated climbing permits may help resolve the problem for the time being.
[via: Reuters]
This is a terrible and sickening insult to the aborigine people…reports state tourists defecating and littering on this most Sacred Rock. Show some Respekt!!
Ban the Climb!!
One Blessed Love to All.