Strategic Action Plan 2025-2030
Strategic Action Plan 2025-2030
This Strategic Action Plan is our call to action and presents the scope and strategic directions of the Rock Art Network. It is set within a framework of principles for the practice of caring for rock art.
For Network members, this document is intended to guide our coordination, activity planning and reporting.
For our technical and funding partners, this is the guiding document to focus support and collaboration aligned to the strategic vision of the Network.
For all, the plan provides a statement of why rock art is a threatened cultural treasure and how we can together make a difference to its protection, conservation and management globally.
Principles:
The Rock Art Network has developed nine foundation principles to guide its work. Network members agree to abide by and promote these principles in their practice and to demonstrate them in the work of the Network.
Principle 1
Promote rock art as a valuable cultural treasure with resources available for its future care.
The Rock Art Network has developed nine foundation principles to guide its work. Network members agree to abide by and promote these principles in their practice and to demonstrate them in the work of the Network.
Principle 4
Conserve and manage rock art to protect all its values.
To manage and conserve rock art, all the values of the place should be identified and incorporated into management approaches. These include cultural, social, aesthetic research, intangible and environmental values that may require careful consideration of how to balance the requirements of different values. There may be potential for conflict between some of these values which will need to be resolved.
Principle 7
Use recognised ethics, protocols and standards for rock art documentation, conservation, interpretation and promotion.
Rock art must be cared for and curated in accordance with established best practice. The four pillars of rock art conservation and management practice provide a starting point to guide these standards. Professional associations have standards and guides for ethical practice. Communities and Indigenous groups may have their own protocols which apply in a local context. It is incumbent on practitioners and project leaders to be aware of, and abide by, standards of practice and protocols.
Principle 2
Safeguard continuing cultural rights
and practices.
Rock art sites in some countries have meanings and associated cultural practices for Indigenous people, cultural descendants and local custodians. Traditional cultural management practices have not always been recognised or appreciated. These management practices can be a critical part of safeguarding sites and maintaining their cultural significance. Rights and practices may include regulating access to and use of the images and knowledge associated with rock art. The intellectual and cultural property rights to rock art, the role of cultural practices and customs and the operation of traditional management systems need to be recognised and actively supported.
Principle 5
Preserve and manage rock art as an inherent part of its landscape.
All rock art sites exist in and form an integral part of the wider landscape. The landscape is inseparable from the essential meaning and value of the art. Conservation of the associated landscapes is essential for the conservation of rock art.
Principle 8
Make effective communication and collaboration a central part of management.
To ensure long term care and appreciation of rock art, it is important to develop partnerships with others involved in protecting and managing rock art, to communicate all the values which rock art has, and to create ways for ongoing collaboration and communication such as working groups, local advisory bodies or management forums.
Principle 3
Ensure Indigenous, local and caretaker communities are informed and adequately involved in decisions affecting management and conservation.
Ensure Indigenous, local and caretaker communities are informed and adequately involved in decisions affecting management and conservation.
Principle 6
Give priority to preventive and protective conservation.
Preventive and protective conservation measures should always be attended to before and in preference to works which result in a lasting physical change to a site. In many cases, simple preventive and protective measures (such as low-key and low-impact maintenance for fire protection and feral animal and insect pest control, monitoring for and then modifying visitor behaviour and effective interpretation) can prevent damage and will minimise the necessity for other more risky, costly and permanent interventions later.
Principle 9
Evaluate commercial tourism and regular visitor access to ensure rock art is protected and local benefits are provided.
Opportunities for people to visit rock art sites requires careful planning and consideration of the potential impact of visitors. This includes, research visits, ad hoc group visits, community-based tours, commercial tourism or through allowing self-guided visits. The impacts of visitors may be physically on the rock art, on the surrounding environment or cultural and social impacts on local communities. Any potential impacts need to be planned for and mitigated prior to tourism, visitor or recreation access being permitted. Current arrangements and future proposals should provide for clear benefits for local communities and the sites themselves.
