Botanical ecologist Stephen van Leeuwen recalls with joy his decades spent exploring Murujuga's remote sandy beaches, rock art-filled gorges and mangrove-lined bays.

The Wardandi Noongar man and Curtin University biodiversity and environmental science chairman spent some 20 years either side of the millennium living in Karratha while undertaking a wide variety of scientific work on Murujuga during the week and "playing" on the peninsula on weekends.

Those memories came to the fore when he was appointed chairman of the Murujuga rock art stakeholder reference group, an offer he accepted without hesitation.

The group will receive analysis from scientists and rangers on the impact of industrial emissions on Murujuga's 40,000-plus-year-old rock art, which will be used to inform industry and government stakeholders.

As we walk into Ngajarli (Deep Gorge) alongside Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Peter Jeffries and rock art monitoring project scientific lead Ben Mullins, Mr van Leeuwen is struck by how well the area is looked after today.

Murujuga Rock Art Stakeholder Reference Group chairman Stephen van Leeuwin, rock art monitoring project scientific lead Ben Mullins and Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Peter Jeffries.

"When I left Karratha just over 15 years ago, people were running amok and walking all over the rock art, not knowing what they're walking on, and where we are sitting at the moment was infested with weeds," Mr van Leeuwen said.

"The Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation rangers are doing a great job managing weeds, and there's interpretation signs telling people what they're looking at.

"It has come a long way in the last 35 years."

Mr van Leeuwen's demeanour while sitting in the shade beside Ngajarli's new tourism boardwalk reflects a man who is not nervous about the task ahead of him.

He would have good reason to be.

Murujuga has in the past year been thrust into the national spotlight over a perceived conflict between industry, environment and culture.

Debate over how much industrial emissions are impacting Murujuga's rock art has been divisive for decades, but now as a World Heritage bid progresses and more industrial development looms, the issue is more prominent than ever.

Scientists, many of whom Mr van Leeuwen has worked with, have tabled conflicting reports on the matter the Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program has now been tasked with providing clarity on.

"I have to start with a clean slate but with an understanding of what's happened in the past," Mr van Leeuwen said.

"I was involved with the CSIRO monitoring program, and to some extent I raised some of the issues in the early days with the environmental regulator about the impact on land snails and some of the wetland systems that emissions may be having.

"I'm very much basing want to base decisions on how we manage this particular piece of country which is really important internationally, based on good science and good evidence."

https://www.nit.com.au/no-tolerance-for-rock-art-impact-as-world-heritage-bid-progresses-murujuga-boss/

The main industry player on Murujuga is Woodside, whose North West Shelf and Pluto LNG plants can be seen from across Nickol Bay in the Pilbara's largest town, Karratha.

Norwegian chemicals giant Yara operates two plants on Murujuga producing fertiliser and ammonium nitrate for explosives, and plans to build a renewable hydrogen pilot plant to the north of existing facilities.

Both companies enjoy strong support from government and the Karratha community, where thousands of their staff live and where they are important contributors to clubs, events and infrastructure.

But national environment groups are mounting a vocal campaign over industrial emissions and, closer to home, some Traditional Owners are concerned about sacred sites and rock art erosion.

Perdaman meanwhile plans to build a $4.5bn fertiliser plant to the west of Ngajarli which could see three cultural sites removed and has not answered requests to address concerns from Traditional Owners.

Rio Tinto's iron ore port facilities sit on the south of the peninsula near Dampier and is largely out of the spotlight when it comes to the politics of Murujuga.

All four companies sit on the reference group alongside Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, the WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and Mr van Leeuwen.

https://www.nit.com.au/young-rangers-find-their-feet-as-ambitions-emerge-on-murujuga-ngurra/

As the head of MAC, Mr Jeffries believes coexistence on Murujuga is the best way forward.

This includes engaging with the five Traditional Owner groups entrusted to protect Murujuga, a unique situation caused by the Flying Foam Massacre in 1868 which all but wiped out the peninsula's Yaburara custodians.

"I think it's important we have a committee that can sit down and have a look at how we ensure the monitoring program is undertaken over the next four or five years to be able to provide us with that clear scientific data with regards to the effects on the rock art," Mr Jeffries said.

"Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation has always been of the opinion around a partnership with industry but more importantly, what we call coexistence.

"That's an important part to be able to sit down and have robust discussions with our industry partners.

"We have an (emissions) limit with regards to where we would like the industry not to go over and I think that's been clearly articulated to industry."

Data from the monitoring program will start flowing through in mid-2023, which will give the group information on pollutants which may require regulation.

A DWER spokesperson said any new regulations would complement existing safeguards for the rock art.

"Conditions placed on Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers include compliance to ensure no air emissions from the proposal have an adverse impact accelerating the weathering of rock art within Murujuga beyond natural rates, compliance with the future standards set by the Murujuga Rock Art Strategy and the maintenance of regional air quality," they said.

"The Minister for Environment may consider contemporising conditions for other industry

already operating on Murujuga when data from the monitoring program becomes available.

"Studies to date have been unable to provide conclusive information on the impacts to the rock art from industrial emissions."

The spokesperson said 21 air quality monitors were installed and 54 rock art panels and 65 sample rocks were selected for observation under the monitoring program.

Consultants Calibre and Curtin University are training Murujuga rangers, who will eventually take on project management and fieldwork roles.