A thorough expert scientific monitoring program and further independent analysis on its report of the impact of largest and oldest rock art gallery in world should ensure its inscription by UNESCO in the next fortnight, the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation says.

Ahead of an expected decision on July 11, MAC chairperson Peter Hicks said extensive scientific data gathered at the area over four years in the resource-rich Pilbara region in Western Australia had met all requirements for inscription on the World Heritage List as a significant cultural site.

Data on the impact of ongoing gas production near the ancient rock art collected by scientists and statisticians gave MAC confidence UNESCO would approve protective measures for the Murajara Cultural Landscape under Federal law.

The Australian government in January 2023 nominated the Murujuga Cultural Landscape, 1500km north of Perth that covers 99,881 hectares of land and sea Country, for World Heritage Listing. The area encompasses the Burrup Peninsula and 44 islands, islets and rocky outcrops that form the Dampier Archipelago.

The nomination had met all requirements but was hindered, Mr Hicks said, by a misrepresentation of the scientific findings by opposing groups. The MAC chair expressed confidence additional support for the inscription from federal and state governments would aid the nomination initiated by five Traditional Owner groups in the Pilbara region.

"The draft decision as we see it is that the science has been misrepresented by different groups out there," Mr Hicks told National Indigenous Times.

"The science needs to be looked at and respected … and maybe that would not have put us in the position that we're in today."

Mr Hicks stressed research and analysis were conducted by experts and criticism of the draft report to UNESCO by people with their own political agendas was "absolutely unacceptable".

"There were some seriously experienced researchers and experts involved in the program, not contractors and untrained rangers, as reports have suggested," he said.

"A serious cohort of globally respected experts have been involved in this program."

The Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program is the most extensive scientific study to examine the impact of industrial air emissions on the marni (rock art engravings) of Murujuga, an area covering the Burrup Peninsula and Dampier Archipelago, with data collected providing a critical source of information on air quality and rock art condition.

Data collected over more than four years had provided a source of information on air quality and rock art condition, with the new findings subject to analysis by scientists and statisticians, as well as independent peer review.

An initial summary report concluded measurements of rainfall and deposition over the past two years were neutral or slightly alkaline, while air quality data collected over the past 18 months generally aligned with previous modelling.

The monitoring network consists of 18 solar/passive stations and four mains-powered air quality monitors.

The report identified higher-than-expected levels of ammonia (NH₃) and ozone (O₃) in the airshed, as well as significant black carbon (soot) levels, with the pollutants likely to be human-generated and industrial operations being the major source. Ozone and formaldehyde are noted as potential risks to the microbiome on rock surfaces.

The upper layer of granophyre rocks – one of five rock types investigated – had elevated porosity (the open spaces in rocks) in the region close to Dampier (previously home to a gas-fired power station which has been decommissioned), and initial levels of safe air quality have been set for the rock art.

Scientists will refine and determine final safe air quality criteria, which will continually be monitored to ensure long-term protection of the rock art.

Part of the reason for the need of further studies is that computational fluid dynamics simulations show pollutants often travel in narrow plumes, potentially exposing specific areas—like gorges rich in engravings—to higher pollutant concentrations. This suggests point-source emissions, such as those from industrial stacks, may locally increase the risk of damage even if regional averages appear within safe limits.

Over the past year, MAC has hosted visits from representatives of advisory bodies to the Committee, and participated in meetings with the Australian government and World Heritage Centre to inform decision making and ensure the assessment considered Ngarda-Ngarli perspectives on the significance of Murujuga.

If the nomination is accepted, Murujuga would be only the second site in Australia listed for World Heritage Status for First Nations cultural heritage.

Mr Hick said its bid had met all the requirements for the inscription and he had high hopes it would be approved by UNESCO, after representatives from the International Council on Monuments and Sites provided a positive report.

"They have had representatives come in and visit the site ... they were here for 10 days with Rangers, Elders and all members of the MAC board," he said.

"The inscription will give us protection of the cultural values of this area, and not just the rock art itself … it is a very significant place for Aboriginal people here in the Pilbara area."

MAC would continue joint management planning with WA's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions for the islands of the Dampier Archipelago.

"Everybody is supportive and wants this area to be protected, as much as the Aboriginal people who have led this nomination," Mr Hicks said.

The Murujuga Cultural Landscape is one of the longest continuous cultural landscapes in the world, with tangible and intangible attributes that document at least 50,000 years of land and sea management by Aboriginal people.

Murujuga holds one of the world's most dense and diverse collections of petroglyphs (rock engravings), with an estimate of up to 2 million petroglyphs.

Some of the petroglyphs are estimated to be more than 50,000 years old, whilst some are much more recent, offering a continuous record of the spiritual, social, and environmental lives of people living at Murujuga over periods of significant climatic and environmental change.

The tangible and intangible attributes that contribute to the extraordinary significance of the Murujuga Cultural Landscape include petroglyphs, stone structures, spiritual and sacred archaeological sites.

Traditional knowledge and cultural practices, ecological knowledge and stewardship, social and cultural kinship systems and obligations through law continue there today.

The area includes seascapes and submerged landscapes – a unique continuity of management and adaptation of Law to environments that changed dramatically, as areas were submerged as the sea level rose.