(CNN) — Call it the Uluru effect.
The Bundjalun, among the Aboriginal people who comprise about 2% of the Australian population, are its traditional guardians. Like the Anangu in the Northern Territory did for Uluru, the Bundjalung want to restrict access to Wollumbin, which is a sacred site to them.
According to tourism data, some 100,000 people climb Wollumbin each year.
Though the Bundjalung and Parks Australia, which oversees the country's national parks, have put up signs asking people to be respectful of the site and re-consider their decision to climb, many ignore the warning and continue on regardless.
For the Bundjalung, though, asking politely simply isn't enough. They say an outright ban, supported by the government, would keep the space sacred.
Wollumbin's name means "cloud catcher."
Getty Images/PDerrett
Even if a fraction of visitors decide to climb, that number can still be significant. For example, 300,000 people visited Uluru in 2015, of whom about 16% opted to climb the rock. That's still 48,000 people. And that doesn't factor in other issues caused by tourism, such as littering and erosion.
In addition to the moral issues raised by potential climbers, Wollumbin is also a safety concern.
Another Aboriginal site that has been considered for closure is Mount Beerwah, the highest of the 10 peaks that comprise Queensland's Glass House Mountains.
"Here in Queensland, the government continues to work in partnership with traditional owners. Conversations about how best to protect culturally significant sites are ongoing," Leeanne Enoch, the state's minister for environment, told CNN Travel in a statement.
Enoch is the first Aboriginal woman to be elected into Queensland's Parliament.
"There are no plans at this stage to close Mt Beerwah to climbers," she added. "Traditional owners would be a partner in any decision made regarding a closure."
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