澳洲巨岩或将禁爬?

Visitors are flocking to Australia’s most famous natural landmark, so they can climb it while they are still allowed to. Some consider this giant sunburned rock the very heart and soul of Australia.

Europeans called it Ayers Rock. To indigenous[本地的] Australians, it’s

Uluru, and it’s sacred ground. Proposals are being considered to ban  people from going up it. This Aboriginal[澳大利亚土著的] ceremony (background sound) by the Anangu people is to mark the opening of a new viewing platform for visitors. But tourists are frequently guilty of ignoring aboriginal sensitivities. Despite requests not to take photographs or climb the rock, many people do.

Climbing the rock is dangerous as well as disrespectful. More than 30 people have died climbing Uluru. Now the national  park management is planning to ban climbers. Though only about a third of the visitors who come to Uluru actually attempt the climb, there has been an outcry surrounding the proposed ban.

The Anangu say people should understand why they don’t want people clambering[(吃力地)攀爬] over the site. And it’s not just about climbing Uluru.

Tour Guide: In its present form, it doesn’t have any facilities on top of the rock itself. So there’s no rubbish bins or toilets, so people naturally do what they have to do up there. And that’s something that has been an environmental issue for many, many years.

Ultimately, the Australian Federal Government will decide what to do, and whose preferences should take precedence[优先权]: those who see Uluru is a sacred site or those who value it as a tourist

climbing destination. Until then, the decision whether or not climb rests with  the conscience of individuals.

游客们蜂拥到澳大利亚最著名的地标性自然景观,为的是在尚被允许时一攀奇石。有些人认为这块像被太阳照得红彤彤的巨岩是澳大利亚的心灵所在。欧洲人把它叫做“艾尔斯岩”。对澳洲原著居民来说,它是“乌鲁鲁”,意即“神圣的土地”。(当地管理部门)正在考虑采纳禁止攀爬艾尔斯岩的建议。这个土著庆祝仪(背景声音)是阿南古人为新开的艾尔斯岩观景台而举行的。不过,游客们经常会犯下忽视土著人民敏感的感情这个错误――尽管乌鲁鲁人三令五申不许拍照或攀爬岩体,很多人仍一意孤行。

攀爬岩石很危险也很不敬。超过30人在攀爬乌鲁鲁时丧生。现在,这个国家公园的管理处准备出台禁止游人攀爬的规定。虽然在前往乌鲁鲁的游客当中,只有三分之一是为了攀爬而来,但禁爬规定的呼声由来已久。

阿南古人说,人们应该理解他们禁止攀登景点的原因,而且这不仅限于乌鲁鲁。

导游:就目前来说,岩石顶部没有任何(卫生和环保)设施。上面没有垃圾箱或厕所,所以在有需要时,他们不得不就地解决――所造成的环境问题已经不是一朝一夕的事情了。

澳大利亚联邦政府最终会决定采取何种应对措施,谁的利益先行――究竟是把乌鲁鲁视为圣地的人们,还是把它当作一个旅游攀登目的地的人。在那之前,是否应该攀登巨岩只能取决于个人道德观了。