Protection

Various protective measures are being taken. The simplest involve the erection of fences to keep out wild, feral and domestic animals and the construction of barriers to keep cars and campfires at a distance. Other measures include silicone driplines to divert the flow of water away from decorated surfaces, removal of lichen, and vegetation management to prevent damage from bushfires.

Another, increasingly recognised way of protecting sites is to provide visitor facilities that encourage appreciation of the paintings and engravings at a certain distance. This may involve the provision of boardwalks and low barriers to keep visitors to a path or to elevate them so they have a better viewing position. Informative signs and take-away brochures alert visitors to the fragility and cultural significance of the paintings and engravings. Guided tours, especially those given by Aboriginal custodians, are another important means of education.

Basic scientific research - including projects funded by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies - is seeking methods that will provide physical protection for the paintings and engravings. This research may eventually include projects aimed at understanding the formation and role of silica skins which develop on painted surfaces; the monitoring of pigments used in paintings to establish what conditions affect their longevity; and studies on how changes in the microclimate affect pigment fading and adhesion.

In preserving Aboriginal paintings and engravings, it is most important to consider the knowledge and wishes of the Aboriginal custodians. Until the coming of Europeans, Aborigines did not need to concern themselves with how well or how long the pigments they painted with would survive. Their traditional responsibilities ensured that important paintings were renewed. Today, however, the descendants of many custodial groups do not have the knowledge and access necessary to maintain sites that contain significant imagery. For some Aboriginal custodians, so much knowledge has been lost that their primary concern now is to preserve what already exists and prevent further damage and deterioration. Even so the removal of rock paintings or engravings to a museum or art gallery for safe keeping is generally not an acceptable solution, because the meaning and place of the imagery is as important to Aboriginal people as the pictures themselves.