CANBERRA, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government and Aboriginal leaders on Saturday welcomed a decision by UNESCO to grant World Heritage status to an area of ancient rock art in Western Australia (WA).

The Murujuga Cultural Landscape was inscribed on the World Heritage List on Friday at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, following 20 years of campaigning by local Aboriginal leaders to protect the area.

The landscape spanning more than 100,000 hectares in WA's Pilbara region, 1,200 km north of Perth, is home to over one million petroglyphs dating back up to 50,000 years, including the world's oldest-known depiction of a human face.

The federal government formally nominated the site for World Heritage listing in 2023 following a 20-year campaign by the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC).

Environment Minister Murray Watt, who led the government's campaign to persuade the 21 member nations of the World Heritage Committee that nearby industrial plants were not a threat to the site, said on Saturday that it is a historic moment for Australia.

Watt said in a joint statement with MAC chair Peter Hicks and WA's Minister for the Environment, Matthew Swinbourn, that the federal government will ensure the site is protected now and for future generations.

"This is an exceptionally proud moment for us. It is recognition of the hard work that MAC has put into progressing this nomination, but it is also recognition of the way our ancestors have managed this extraordinary landscape for over 50,000 years. We are proud to continue that legacy," Hicks said.

The landscape has become Australia's 21st World Heritage site and the second-recognized site for Aboriginal cultural values. ■