People, Place, and Past: Kakadu National Park - Semester One 2017

This essay provides an overview of Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Australia, focusing on its cultural and historical significance. It describes the park's geographical features, its long-standing connection to the Aboriginal people, and its importance in understanding human interaction with nature. The essay also addresses the environmental challenges facing the park, such as buffalo hunting and climate change, and suggests conservation strategies, including community involvement, sustainable tourism, and collaboration with environmental agencies. The preservation of Kakadu National Park is emphasized as crucial for protecting Aboriginal heritage and promoting environmental awareness.

Running head: PEOPLE PLACE AND PAST - A STUDY
PEOPLE PLACE AND PAST - A STUDY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author name

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Heritage generally refers to the various properties that are inherited by the concerned
person from their ancestors. The world heritage sites refer to the landmark or an area that has
been selected by the authorities at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization or the UNESCO for the preservation and the protection of the area. The world
heritage sites are mostly classified on the basis of the significance that they might hold in the
fields of culture, history or science as well as any other way. These cultural heritage sites might
also be protected by the various international treaties and might hold the interest of the complete
human race (Sullivan 2016). The following essay deals with one of the world heritage sites that
is present within the Australian territory. The essay opens with a description of the heritage site
in discussion and proceeds further to discuss the importance of the concerned site in terms of the
global human history. The essay nears its end with the reasons and the ways of protecting and
conserving the cultural heritage site in discussion.
Description of the site
Kakadu National Park is one of the protected areas within the Australian territorial
boundaries. The park is located within the Northern territories of Australia almost at a distance of
171km to the south-east of Darwin. The location of the park is found to be within the region of
the Alligator Rivers that is present within the Northern territories of Australia. The total area that
is covered by park is around 19804 kilometers (Parksaustralia.gov.au 2018). The park extends
for about 200 kilometers from the northern boundaries to the southern boundaries and almost for
100 kilometers from the eastern boundaries to the western boundaries of the country. The size of
the park might be compared to the territorial size of the country of Slovenia, the half of the size
of the country of Switzerland and almost one-third of the size of the country of Tasmania

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(Environment.gov.au 2018). The park is known to have been surrounding one of the uranium
mines present nearby, the Ranger Uranium Mine.
The area was majorly the residence of a number of the Aboriginals who had been leasing
out parts of their lands to the Director of National Parks so that the concerned area could be
maintained properly. This leasing of the land had started during the 1970 while the Aboriginals
had been protecting the area in discussion for a longer time span. The area has been known for
the proper ecological balance within the area. The floodplains that have been present within the
area were enough to have discussed the various effects of the changes in the sea-levels on the
concerned country of Australia (Parksaustralia.gov.au 2018). The park is known for the
exquisitely beautiful natural beauties as well as the various sweeping landscapes that are present
within the territorial boundaries of the concerned heritage park in discussion.

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Fig. 1: Kakadu National Park
Source: (Parksaustralia.gov.au 2018)
The Kakadu National Park has another significance in the historical matters as well. This
park was known to be the home of the Aboriginals before being considered as one of the world
heritage sites (Whc.unesco.org 2018). The park has helped in the understanding of the various
factors that might have resulted from the peaceful and prolonged interaction of the human beings
with the nature. The park might be used to learn more about the hunting lifestyle that was
followed by the people of the early ages. The area had gained the positioning in the huge amount

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of discussion on the matters that pertain to the environmental factors that need to be faced by the
concerned area in discussion, Kakadu National Park.
Kakadu National Park provides a mesmerizing view of the starry night sky of Australia.
This would be an innovative opportunity to view the Milky Way, which is otherwise very far
from the human sight (Environment.gov.au 2018). Introducing effective schemes, discounts and
offers would help the staffs to increase their revenue. Organizing sports events in the national
parks would be one of the other ways for protecting the heritage site (Boley and Green 2016).
Events like trekking for the children would provide them an enthralling experience. Apart from
this, the sports events would act as a proper utilization of the site.
Importance in terms of global human history
The concerned park in discussion might be considered to be one of the most important
areas within the Australian territories. The park is known to have been the residence of the
Aboriginal people for a longer time span. The area was incorporated within the list of the world
heritage sites due to the unique factor that helped in the creation of a sustainable bond between
the concerned human beings and the concerned national park.
The Kakadu National Park has another significance in the historical matters as well. This
park was known to be the home of the Aboriginals before being considered as one of the world
heritage sites. The park has helped in the understanding of the various factors that might have
resulted from the peaceful and prolonged interaction of the human beings with the nature. The
park might be used to learn more about the hunting lifestyle that was followed by the people of
the early ages. The area had gained the positioning in the huge amount of discussion on the

5PEOPLE PLACE AND PAST - A STUDY
matters that pertain to the environmental factors that need to be faced by the concerned area in
discussion, Kakadu National Park.
Fig. 2: West Alligator Head, Kakadu National Park
Source: (Parksaustralia.gov.au 2018)
The area was majorly the residence of a number of the Aboriginals who had been leasing
out parts of their lands to the Director of National Parks so that the concerned area could be
maintained properly. This leasing of the land had started during the 1970 while the Aboriginals
had been protecting the area in discussion for a longer time span (Environment.gov.au 2018).
The area has been known for the proper ecological balance within the area. The floodplains that
have been present within the area were enough to have discussed the various effects of the
changes in the sea-levels on the concerned country of Australia. The park is known for the
exquisitely beautiful natural beauties as well as the various sweeping landscapes that are present
within the territorial boundaries of the concerned heritage park in discussion.
The preservation of the concerned park would result in protection of the lands, where
Aboriginals lived for 40,000 years (Parksaustralia.gov.au 2018). The museums, consisting of the
cultural heritage of the aboriginals would be a symbol, promoting the aboriginal culture.

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Paintings and exhibitions would be an effective means of promoting the life of the Aboriginals to
the foreigners. In the national park, the case of buffalo hunting is a burning issue. This is
adversely affecting the ecological diversity (Whc.unesco.org 2018). This might help the future
generations to gain an insight into the ways in which the aboriginal people of the area might have
been living in close companionship with the various aspects of nature that had been surrounding
them. The concerned park should be considered to be important by the various people of the
younger generation since this might be one of the ways to understand the relationship between
the human beings and the nature surrounding them.
Protection and conservation
Preservation of the park would result in protection of the lands, where Aboriginals lived
for 40,000 years. The museums, consisting of the cultural heritage of the aboriginals would be a
symbol, promoting the aboriginal culture. Paintings and exhibitions would be an effective means
of promoting the life of the Aboriginals to the foreigners. In the national park, the case of buffalo
hunting is a burning issue. This is adversely affecting the ecological diversity. For this, the
Government of Environment and Water Resources need to take strict measures for preserving the
buffalo wetlands. The hunters can be fined for hunting the buffalo skin (Cronk and Fuller 2014).
Construction of North Australia Railway line have strengthened the foundation of the
mining camps. The mining activities have uprooted many Aboriginals from Kakadu due to the
harmful effects of alcohol and drugs. The environmental pollution has depleted most of the
natural resources. In order to avert further degradation, transportation facilities can be one of the
innovative solution. This would greatly contribute to the economy (Moyle and Weiler 2017).

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Climate changes result in the destruction of the forest in the national park. The scientists
and the Ministry of Forest can take help of various measuring devices, which would help in
estimating the climate changes. This measurement would enable the staffs in warning the people
about the precautionary measures, which they need to take for coping up with the climate
changes. However, for the field experiments, written permission needs to be taken from the
Aboriginals, as the land belongs to them. Absence of this permission would be illegal.
The park officials can indulge in partnership with various environmental agencies, who
would look after its conservation. For this, taking the help of the social media would be an
innovative step towards preserving the cultural heritage site (Farsani et al. 2014). Grants
regarding social wellbeing projects can also be undertaken for promotion of the Aboriginal
culture. The school students can be taken for a field trip to this site for enhancing their
knowledge about the culture, in which they live. Along with this, the students can be shown the
paintings, which depict the customs and traditions of the Aboriginals.
Kakadu National Park provides a mesmerizing view of the starry night sky of Australia.
This would be an innovative opportunity to view the Milky Way, which is otherwise very far
from the human sight. Introducing effective schemes, discounts and offers would help the staffs
to increase their revenue.
Organizing sports events in the national parks would be one of the other ways for
protecting the heritage site (Boley and Green 2016). Events like trekking for the children would
provide them an enthralling experience. Apart from this, the sports events would act as a proper
utilization of the site.

8PEOPLE PLACE AND PAST - A STUDY
The natural resources can be preserved through field experiments and surveys. For this,
partnership can be established with the Archaeological department. This partnership would
conserve the resources used by the Aboriginals. Appeals through social media would bestow
varying solutions upon the park personnel. The public can be informed about the programs,
which would conserve the cultural heritage site. Donations would provide financial assistance to
the staffs for undertaking effective and flexible projects (Moyle and Weiler 2017).
Exhibitions and fairs would act as a social upliftment for the Aboriginals. This would be
through the selling of handicrafts prepared by them. Through this, the culture and heritage would
be transferred from the local natives to the foreigners. These transactions would be prospective
in terms of indulging in trades and transactions. Taking the opinion of the public would help in
assessing the effectiveness, appropriateness and feasibility of the products. This is in terms of
ensuring the wellbeing of the people and the environment (Cronk and Fuller 2014).
In lieu of the above discussion, it might be safely said that the Kakadu National Park
might be considered to be one of the best examples of the peaceful co-habilitation of the nature
and the human beings. The world heritage sites are mostly classified on the basis of the
significance that they might hold in the fields of culture, history or science as well as any other
way. These cultural heritage sites might also be protected by the various international treaties
and might hold the interest of the complete human race. Kakadu National Park is one of the
protected areas within the Australian territorial boundaries. This park was known to be the home
of the Aboriginals before being considered as one of the world heritage sites. The park has
helped in the understanding of the various factors that might have resulted from the peaceful and
prolonged interaction of the human beings with the nature. The park might be used to learn more
about the hunting lifestyle that was followed by the people of the early ages. This site should be

9PEOPLE PLACE AND PAST - A STUDY
protected for the future generation to come and thus need to go through the various processes of
preservation and conservation in order to maintain the status that has been accredited to the
concerned area in discussion, Kakadu National Park.

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References
Boley, B.B. and Green, G.T., 2016. Ecotourism and natural resource conservation: the
‘potential’for a sustainable symbiotic relationship. Journal of Ecotourism, 15(1), pp.36-50.
Cronk, Q.C. and Fuller, J.L., 2014. Plant invaders: the threat to natural ecosystems. Routledge.
Environment.gov.au 2018. Department of the Environment and Energy. [online] Department of
the Environment and Energy. Available at:
http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/kakadu [Accessed 30 Jul. 2018].
Environment.gov.au 2018. Department of the Environment and Energy. [online] Department of
the Environment and Energy. Available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/national-
parks/kakadu-national-park/culture-and-history [Accessed 30 Jul. 2018].
Farsani, N.T., Coelho, C.O., Costa, C.M. and Amrikazemi, A., 2014. Geo-knowledge
management and geoconservation via geoparks and geotourism. Geoheritage, 6(3), pp.185-192.
Moyle, B.D. and Weiler, B., 2017. Revisiting the importance of visitation: Public perceptions of
park benefits. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 17(1), pp.91-105.
Parksaustralia.gov.au 2018. Kakadu National Park - History. [online] Parksaustralia.gov.au.
Available at: https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/discover/history/ [Accessed 30 Jul. 2018].
Parksaustralia.gov.au 2018. Kakadu National Park. [online] Parksaustralia.gov.au. Available at:
https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/ [Accessed 30 Jul. 2018].
Sullivan, A.M., 2016. Cultural Heritage & New Media: A Future for the Past, 15 J. Marshall
Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 604 (2016). The John Marshall Review of Intellectual Property Law, 15(3),
p.11.

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Whc.unesco.org 2018. Kakadu National Park. [online] Whc.unesco.org. Available at:
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/147 [Accessed 30 Jul. 2018].