Tourists are set to be banned from climbing Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, as part of a new draft management plan for the site, drawn up by the Australian Government.

A two-month public consultation is now underway to examine the plans for the future management of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in central Australia over the next ten years, before being presented to the Australian Parliament later this year. Despite the wishes of Uluru's traditional Aborigine owners, around 38 per cent of visitors to the World Heritage Site attempt to climb the 346m (1,135ft)-high rock each year, and officials are now considering introducing a ban for safety and environmental reasons.

Peter Cochrane, the Director of National Parks, said: "We are confronting the impacts of climate change and invasive species. We also need to think beyond the global economic crisis to longer term visitor travel patterns - who are our next generation of visitors? What experiences are they are seeking and what can we offer? "Uluru was a touchstone for Aboriginal land rights as a result of the historic decision by the Hawke Government in 1985 to give the traditional owners title to their lands in return for agreeing to lease it back to be managed as a national park."

According to the Australian Government's Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, at least 35 people have died climbing Uluru, which is taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.