The lead scientist of a major report on the impact of industrial emissions on ancient Indigenous rock art at Murujuga, and the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, have defended the summary of the findings.

Professor Ben Mullins of Curtin University spoke to ABC Radio National on Friday about the Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Project (MRAMP).

Professor Mullins co-leads a team of scientists and rangers doing long-term research on the important site, which is home to more than one thousand petroglyphs.

The scientists worked closely with Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, the representative organisation of Traditional custodians of the area.

In his first public comments since the report was released on May 24, he told ABC Radio National the group's findings suggest there has been some impact on the rocks, but that air quality has improved in the area over time.

"The evidence [is] that the effects we have measured, this increased porosity in the rocks, most likely happened in the past," he told Radio National.

"There's nothing in our report that suggests industry and the rock art can't coexist and the emissions can't be managed to an appropriate level."

The report indicated there is evidence of concern and risk factors that warrant ongoing scrutiny, particularly in relation to airborne industrial emissions.

Among the key findings, the upper layer of granophyre, one of five rock types being investigated, has elevated porosity - open spaces in rocks - in a region close to Dampier. The authors of the report said this is likely a response formed over many years that may have been accelerated in the 1970s, particularly due to emissions from the former Dampier Power Station.

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

The authors of the report, the product of two years of fieldwork and analysis by the Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program, said upon its release two weeks ago that there is no definitive conclusion gas giant Woodside's operations are directly damaging Murujuga's ancient and world renowned Indigenous rock art at this time.

The summary report of the full 800-page report has been criticised, with some arguing it misrepresents the findings and alleging the Western Australian government interfered with its composition.

University of Western Australia professor of archaeology Benjamin Smith claimed the state government misrepresented the full report in the summary he described as "propaganda".

Professor Smith told media last month that the academics who worked on the paper had been under a "lockdown" and were not allowed to speak about the work.

The report was released days before the federal government gave provisional approval to Woodside's bid to extend its North West Shelf gas project until 2070.

UNESCO recently delayed granting the Murujuga Cultural Landscape a World Heritage listing due to their concerns regarding industrial emissions. Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, alongside the WA and federal governments, have pursued the listing for the extraordinary cultural site.

Professor Mullins told Radio National he supported the effort to have the landscape listed.

"It's a really amazing place and it really deserves World Heritage protection," he said.

He rejected claims the summary report had been misleading.

"[It] was always intended to be a simple lay person summary for the general public. It went through a process to develop it," he told Radio National.

"I don't think it misrepresents the findings in the main report and the important thing is that the full report, all 800 plus pages plus the associated documents, have all been published exactly as we the scientist wrote them.

"We all stand by them."

Professor Mullins said researchers had "certainly not" been gagged by the state government or anyone else.

Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation said the program's "rigorous study into the impact of industrial activity on ancient rock art at Murujuga is the largest project of its kind ever undertaken globally with a team of 55 scientists at Curtin University".

"It involves a five-year study that provides a reliable baseline for ongoing monitoring and preservation of Murujuga's ancient rock art. Despite some misrepresentations, this objective and peer-reviewed study confirms the facts that industrial activity and rock art can coexist without harm."