More Rock Art Destruction

Submitted by Andy B on Wednesday, 19 June 2002 Page Views: 1665

More than ever, rock-art around the world is being destroyed. What survived sometimes thousands of years is now under threat. Highways, big dams and senseless development are destroying or threatening imminent destruction of unique memories of our common past. Please sign the Petition and also one here.

Unfortunately, rock art researchers often have no other means than to appeal to other colleagues and to the public to help save these engravings and paintings.

Today we call your attention to another terribly worrying case: -

DAMPIERS (Australia):

In Australia in the Dampiers Archipelago (Pilbara region, North-western Australia) the largest concentration of petroglyphs (pre-historic engravings) and a major corpus of standing stone is under threat by the plan of extending of the Murujua industrial plan (petrochemical). International pressure can maybe convince the Government of Western Australia to relocate the development in the mainland, in Maitland, an industrial estate set aside for such a purpose. More information.

TO HELP SAVE this site please sign the petition http://www.PetitionOnline.com/dampier.

GUADIANA (Portugal-Spain):

Following the conclusion of the first part of the Alqueva dam project, several thousands of engravings thought to date from Stone to Copper Ages are now disappearing under water. A third of the area on the Portuguese side was not surveyed. In the main area near Cheles (Badajoz, Spain) our Spanish colleagues are asking support to at least make moulds of some of the decorated surfaces.

Two thousand and four hundred people around the world have already signed our petition. The European Union following the presentation of these signatures already questioned the Portuguese Government about the efforts made on recording and studying the petroglyphs.

Please sign the petition to make sure that the study is complete and the level of the waters kept low enough to save many of these remarkable petroglyphs.

SAVE WORLD ROCK ART!

Thank you for caring

Mila Simoes de Abreu
(IFRAO - Portugal )

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF ROCK ART ORGANISATIONS
IFRAO is a federation of 39 national and regional organisations promoting the study and protection of rock art throughout the world. IFRAO facilitates international co-operation, and initiates and pursues common policies and projects in the discipline.

Contributor Bio for Andy B: Megalithic Portal Founding Editor.

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