Watarrka National Park, home to Kings Canyon, placed on National Heritage List

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Traditional owners are hopeful that adding the popular Watarrka National Park to the National Heritage List will safeguard the site for the benefit of future generations.

The federal government has just announced that the park, which is situated about four hours to the west of Alice Springs and features the well-known tourist spot Kings Canyon, will be included on the list.

The national park's rugged mountain ranges and towering 100-metre cliffs draw thousands of visitors every year.

Described as a "living plant museum", Watarrka also serves as a haven for numerous rare and endemic plant and invertebrate species.

The park is of great importance to the Anangu traditional owners, who have looked after their land for tens of thousands of years.

The federal government stated that the listing acknowledged the site's "outstanding heritage value" and would guarantee the park's protection for generations to come.

"Preserving First Nations cultural heritage is essential to keeping our country's story alive," Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said.

By working with the indigenous people who've been here for thousands of years and helping them look after and protect their land, we can keep the natural and cultural treasures of special places like Watarrka National Park intact for future generations.

A significant natural site

Traditional owner Stephen Clyne said the site's gorges, canyons and rock holes provided a sanctuary for lush plant communities — including almost 700 known native species.

"We've got some real rare ferns and plants in that gully and waterways over there," he said.

We found this unique fork-shaped plant and it was a rare sighting, and I'd never seen a plant like that before, it's really something special. Only found in Kings Canyon.

was threatening the future of this fragile haven.

He was hoping the national heritage listing would make a real difference.

"We used to have heaps of bush tucker out there. There was plenty of emus and roos, lizards, goannas, and all that sort of thing," he said.

"Then came buffel grass."

Fracking concerns

The Commonwealth said the Northern Territory government, as joint managers of the park, is "best-placed" to answer questions about buffel eradication.

The Northern Territory government was sought for a response.

In place since 2017, Mr Clyne said fracking must also be forbidden around the perimeter of the park.

"It's causing harm to the land and the waterways," he said.

Let's keep our country secure so kids can have the same happy times playing in the park that I had when I was a nipper.

According to the federal government, once sites are listed on the National Heritage List, they are safeguarded as "matters of environmental significance" under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said this means approval must be obtained beforehand for any action that could "significantly impact" the site's national heritage values.

A department spokesperson said this included any works from outside the national heritage area.

Any breaches of the act may result in civil or criminal consequences, such as fines or a prison sentence of up to seven years.