Ascent of the Uluru: One step too far
Ascent of the Uluru: One step too far
The climbing of the Uluru, Australia's most famous landmark, will be completely banned from 2019. Isn't the ban long overdue?
In November 2017, the board of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park unanimously voted to ban Uluru's climbing from October 26, 2019, the 34th anniversary of the return of the Uluru to the Aborigines.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site was returned to its traditional owners in 1985, nine years after 1976 the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) was passed, which finally recognizes the laws and country rights of Aborigines in Australia.
The way it looks, the climb of the Uluru is allowed, although signs at the beginning of the hiking trail visit visitors out of respect for the traditional keepers of the country, the Anangu Aborigines, urgently stop from it.
"We, the traditional Anangu owners, have to say this," says the sign. "Uluru is sacred in our culture, a place great knowledge. According to our traditional law, climbing is not allowed. This is our home ... Please do not climb."
alt = "climb Uluru Australia Schild"> Atlas & Boots signs at the starting point urgently advise visitors not to climb the Uluru
Over 250,000 people visit Uluru every year and 16 % of these visitors decided between 2011 and 2015 to climb the monolith if the numbers have dropped below 20 % and other visitor activities have been successfully established.
The board cited conservation and security concerns as reasons for the ban on the promotion, but the decision was mainly motivated by cultural sensitivity. The Uluru has a deep spiritual and cultural importance for the Anangu, and to climb it means to disregard their traditional laws.
weather and security concerns have also led to the route was often blocked because of strong wind or extreme heat. At least 35 people have died on the hike since the 1950s and many more have been saved.
In addition, tourists that climb on the rocks are a growing problem. Plastic water bottles are dropped and climbers that have to facilitate themselves are polluted water holes that are used by wild animals. In addition, the traces of the mountaineering shoes in the rock are visible for miles.
"I can't stop her from climbing the Uluru," said Kurt, our guide from the Uluru Rock Tour, "but I urgently advise you against it."
unnecessarily mention that neither Kia nor I have climbed the Uluru. Also none of our group of 13 guests. That shouldn't mean that I couldn't see the attraction. As a mountaineer (especially as a mountaineer who deals with Peak Bagging), I understand why tourists want to have the broking right to reach the top of the Uluru at 863 m (2,831 ft). We both also noticed that the view from above must indeed have to be something special.
alt = "Uluru climb"> Atlas & Boots Only 16 % of visitors between 2011 and 2015 climbed the ULURU
Kurt could also see the charm, but he reminded us that since the pyramids were banned in Egypt, for reasons of nature conservation, tourists rarely disregarded the rules there.
"But what is more important," he continued, "Uluru is a sacred place for the Anangu. Imagine it like a cathedral for Christians or a mosque for Muslims. Would you climb the blue mosque in Istanbul or the emergency lady in Paris?"
He was of course absolutely right. Wherever we travel, we pay attention to the local etiquette. We would not wear shoes in a mosque Turkeywir would not turn our backs back in Sri Lanka and we would not think in a dream of removing artifacts from the Easter Island (yes, someone actually did).
When I travel to another country and there is a sacred site, an area with limited access, I don't enter or climb it, I respect it. The same applies to Anangu. We welcome tourists here. We don't stop tourism, just this activity. " - Sammy Wilson, traditional owner and CEO of Uluru
Adam Giles, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, claimed that climbing the Uluru should not be banned because the Uluru is for everyone. For me, this argument seems to be weak when you consider that Uluru has no religious or cultural importance for Piranpa (white).
The argument develops from weakly ridiculous when they acknowledge that the Anangu for at least 22,000 years in the area before Captain Cook 1770 at all set a foot to Australia.
It is a sad case that the climb of the Uluru has been discussed for so long. Just because the Australian neries in Australia's recent history have been pushed to the edge for so long, this is still being discussed. The fact that the climbing of the Uluru is still shared shows how far integration efforts still have to go.
Just as it is forbidden to climb mosques and cathedrals, tourists might not have allowed it to be allowed to climb the Uluru. The ban is long overdue and the earlier it comes into force, the better.
The climbing of the Uluru should really be a thing of the past.
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