The Pros And Cons Of Ayers Rock

Ayers Rock, more commonly known as Uluru, has been accessible for climbing purposes until a climbing ban was enforced in late 2019, causing many to disagree with this controversial decision. Arguments challenging the said ban claim that climbing the landscape completes the full tourism experience and is associated with many memories that are significant to certain groups of people. At the time of the ban, many stories of families saddened by the fact their expected babies would not be able to enjoy the experience were shared as an attempt to protest against the ban in a way. Travel guide websites were big contributors of this type of persuasion, along with popular online discussion platforms, such as Reddit and Quora. The 348 metre climb also

Firstly, the act of climbing the landscape can be viewed as extreme disrespect to the First Nations peoples of the land. The cultural landscapes of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park showcase deeper meaning to what the eyes can see; they contain Dreamtime and creation stories, as well as the associated knowledge of law, relationships, plants, and animals, all of which live in the features of the land. A common argument to further relate this point to those who are unfamiliar with the amount of significance the rock holds, is “would you climb a church?”. A lot of people would not, because of the well-known importance of religion, spirituality and places associated with such topics and many argue that the concept is no different when it comes to places associated with the Aboriginal culture. Secondly, there are certain environmental damages done to Uluru, with the most notable one being erosion on the surface. As a result of the human population interfering with the surface, the rock has gradually started becoming worn smooth due to footsteps of travellers, which ultimately affects the aesthetic values of the attraction for the worse. Lack of bathroom facilities were also giving tourists excuses to take care of their business on the actual rock, and when the weather allowed precipitation in the area, the human discharges would be flushed with rain water into the water holes below. This act not only provided massive disrespect to the nearby communities, especially Aboriginal people, but also threatened water supplies of dependent plants and animals. Moreover, climbing Uluru has caused an estimated 37 lives to be lost as the extreme heat of Northern Territory - often reaching high 30’s in degrees Celsius - does not combine well with the steepness of the rock,