World Heritage Listing for the West MacDonnell National Park
The Northern Territory Government has committed to nominating the West MacDonnell National Park for World Heritage listing, a register of properties worldwide that exhibit outstanding universal cultural and/or natural values which are important to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory in which they are located. The Northern Territory Government has undertaken a series of reports which support the proposition that the Park has natural and cultural values that merit nomination to the World Heritage List.
In order to progress the West MacDonnell National Park for World Heritage Listing, a series of rigorous evaluation processes need to be undertaken. If the Australian Heritage Council deems the West MacDonnell National Park suitable for listing on Australia’s National Heritage List, the Australian Government can then proceed to nominate the Park for World Heritage Listing to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisations (UNESCO). UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee then decides whether a nomination meets the criteria for World Heritage Listing. Each country that is part of UNESCO can only nominate one potential World Heritage place per year.
In late 2007 the Australian Government called for nominations to the National Heritage List and the Northern Territory Government nominated the West MacDonnell National Park. In May 2008, the Australian Government announced that 13 of the 129 nominations received for inclusion on the National Heritage List had been accepted for detailed assessment by the Australian Heritage Council. The West MacDonnell National Park is one of the 13 that have been accepted. This detailed assessment process by the Australian Heritage Council takes at least 12 months.
For more information on World Heritage Listing is available through the UNESCO website. Copies of the reports detailing the West MacDonnell National Park are available below.
The Land, Nature and Culture
The West MacDonnell National Park, located in Australia’s central desert region and used by Arrernte people whose ancestors have occupied this country for tens of thousands of years, is an inspirational landscape. The spectacular and varied scenery of the West MacDonnell National Park is an expression of geological, geomorphological and biological processes spanning almost 2 billion years. The ancient character of the landscape and its physical contrasts demands our attention; light and dark as sunlight moves across the gorges in the ranges; cool refreshing pools at rock holes, the largely waterless plains, brilliant blue skies and deep red desert sands.
For nearly 150 years, explorers, geologists, naturalists, artists and huge numbers of travellers have been seduced by the stunningly unique environment that is the West MacDonnells. It’s natural and cultural complexity has been captured in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous art, literature, film and popular culture. This rich accumulation of material has been documented in reports that form the basis for the National and World Heritage nominations.
Nature meets Culture
The MacDonnell Ranges abound in contrasts. They rise abruptly from 100 metres to 1000 metres out of flat desert plains, often to the astonishment and delight of visitors anticipating sandhills and semi-arid shrublands. Precipitous cliffs and gorges, enclosed pounds and basins and twisted and rugged valleys create a complex variety of vistas. After rain, ancient rivers spill out across the plains and refresh the landscape.
It’s a landscape that begs to be recorded, whether it be in words or images, scientific or spontaneous, and it is this rich accumulation of material that forms the basis for the reports that are being submitted to support the World Heritage nomination. Both natural and cultural data (3MB) have now been collated.
The Nomination in Progress
Parks and Wildlife have commissioned Dr Geoff Mosley, a geographer and conservationist who has been involved with world heritage since 1974, to evaluate and report on the World Heritage values of the West MacDonnell National Park, to assess whether current management practices meet those required for a World Heritage listed site, and advise on the best approach for pursuing a World Heritage nomination. His strongly supports the proposition that the West MacDonnell National Park has natural and cultural values that merit nomination for World Heritage listing.
A preliminary report on the cultural values of the Central Ranges, which includes the West MacDonnells, has also been undertaken and will be available on this website in the near future.
For further information, call (08) 8951 8250 or email us.
