Protecting and preserving Indigenous heritage in the extractive industries world

Martin Porr

A one-day symposium was held in June 2026 at the University of Western Australia (UWA), entitled Extractive industries and the protection and preservation of Indigenous heritage: Exploring collaborative and comparative perspectives and strategies. Supported by the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies, the symposium was organized and hosted by ARC Future Fellow, Associate Professor Martin Porr (UWA Archaeology/Centre for Rock Art Research + Management).

Figure 1: Martin Porr introducing the symposium in the Woolnough Lecture Theatre at UWA

The symposium stressed that the preservation of Indigenous heritage remains a significant challenge in a world increasingly characterised by national and international fragmentation, economic favouritism and insecurity, and irreversible environmental degradation. It brought together speakers working in Australia, Europe, Africa, and South America, to explore how heritage protection, Indigenous rights, and extractive development can be understood and negotiated in an interconnected world. Presenters shared a key observation: that current frameworks for the protection of Indigenous heritage remain inadequate when confronted with the economic and political power of extractive industries.

Drawing on her extensive experience across Latin America, Marie Forgot presented on the challenges surrounding lithium extraction in the Atacama Desert and how mining development prompted local communities to mobilize in defence of their water access rights .

Mélanie Duval asked what can be done once heritage has already been impacted or destroyed, and the processes of reparation, drawing on the replicated decorated caves of Lascaux and Chauvet to explore issues around heritage replicas.

Figure 2: Left to right – Marie Forget presenting her paper “The Land, the Brine, and the Law”, and outlining different forms of resistance by Indigenous communities against extractive industries; and Mélanie Duval presenting on the potentials and challenges of using rock art replicas as a strategy for heritage communication and preservation. 

Representatives from the PKKP Aboriginal Corporation detailed their cultural responsibilities in decision-making when mining developments impact their Country and presented on how co-management agreements with Rio Tinto and Fortescue were seeking a more balanced governance model.

Presentations from Joe Dortch and Richard Vokes explored of the current legislative privileging of material understandings of heritage over Indigenous relational concepts; while Sven Ouzman demonstrated the interconnectedness of heritage concerns, water extraction and tourism in the Kimberley. All focused on heritage protection and emphasised the importance of holistic and integrated approaches.

Figure 3: Denis Coutant presenting on behalf of PKKP Aboriginal Corporation.

Overall, the symposium highlighted a significant evolution in thinking about Indigenous heritage. Rather than framing an oppositional debate between conservation and development, the speakers and the subsequent discussions focused on the transformation of governance itself – recognising Indigenous sovereignty, embracing cultural landscapes, and developing new institutional frameworks capable of reconciling resource extraction with heritage justice.

Acknowledgements:

We thank all presenters for their time and invaluable work.  

All images were taken by Mélanie Duval and Martin Porr.