As of 2019 it will not be possible to climb Mount Uluru.
Australia has marked a before and after in the management of mass tourism and in the preservation of its natural heritage. Who knows if this will serve as a precedent in other countries?
Access to Uluru , also called Ayersrock, in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Australian desert, will be closed on the day October 26, 2019 by the desire of the traditional owners.
"We chose this date to close the climb permanently as it is a date of great importance for Anangu . On October 26, 1985, Uluru and Kata Tjuta were returned to Anangu after many years of hard work by the elders," Australian National Parks Director Sally Barnes told a news conference on November 1. .
Uluru is owned by the aboriginal community, Anangu.
Uluru has received this year more than 100,000 annual visits , according to data from the National Park . Its reddish color and its height, about 348 meters , have made it a very popular and attractive place for tourists who do not hesitate to climb it even if there are notices not to do so.
"There has been a significant reduction in the number of people who want to climb, to less than 20%. We have many alternative activities so that people can enjoy the place without having to climb it," added Sally Barnes on November 1.
Tourists will have to admire Uluru from below.
For the Anangu , the community of aboriginal groups of Australia, a place that is sacred to them was not being respected.
"The land has law and culture. We welcome tourists here. Closing the climb is not something to feel upset about but a cause for celebration . We are going to close it all together”, communicated the owner and president of the Uluru board of directors, Sammy Wilson, on October 27.
"If I travel to another country and there is a sacred site, a restricted access area, I do not enter it or climb it, I respect it. It is the same here for Anangu. We are not stopping tourism, just this activity," added Sammy Wilson.
In fact, it will be so, tourists will be able to access Uluru and enjoy its views but from below, without being able to climb it. They are already studying different ways to encourage other activities in the area.
Australia has made history with this ban.