Traditional Owners

Buru Energy conducts all operations in a manner sensitive to cultural concerns and undertakes a process of consultation with Traditional Owners before commencing any on-ground activities. To protect heritage values of the region, Buru undertakes heritage clearance surveys prior to ground disturbing works and engages Traditional Owner heritage monitors during the carrying out of any necessary ground disturbing works.

Wherever possible, Buru Energy seeks to create opportunities for employment and contracting for the local communities, including indigenous communities. As the scale of on ground activities increases, this will increase the opportunities available. Buru Energy understands the importance of building skills and capacities among local people and businesses as a way of investing in the future sustainability and viability of local communities.

Initiatives implemented by Buru Energy include:

• Voluntarily gave up our rights to explore for oil and gas in Roebuck Bay, recognising the environmental and cultural importance of this area.
• Delivery of cultural inductions to all Buru Energy staff and contractors working on site.
• Training Environmental Cadets in the field of Conservation and Land Management to undertake environmental monitoring.
• Training of personnel in security, the operation of excavators, water carts, dump trucks, front-end loaders and bobcats.
• Development and capacity building for indigenous businesses to support our operations and other industries in the Kimberley.

Nyikina Mangala Cultural Awareness Training

In July 2023, Buru Energy was invited to undertake a Nyikina Mangala cultural immersion trip at a culturally significant location along the Fitzroy River in Western Australia.

Senior management and field employees from both Perth and the Kimberley attended the three-day trip.

Traditional Owners and the Buru team encouraged conversations that led to a greater understanding of peoples backgrounds and also shared their own stories throughout the trip. Buru staff were able to experience a variety of cultural foods and witness different cooking and hunting methods and were able to get a greater appreciation for sites of significance on Nyikina Mangala country.

The experience was greatly appreciated by everyone that attended and allowed the group to broaden their knowledge of Nyikina Mangala culture and history, as well as further build on the already strong relationships between Buru and the Nyikina Mangala group.

In September 2022, Buru Energy employees were involved in face-to-face cultural awareness training with senior representatives from the Nyikina Mangala Native Title group. A significant amount of Buru’s exploration permits overlaps the Nyikina Mangala native title determination, with the majority of Buru’s exploration activities having occurred on Nyikina Mangala country over the last decade.

This training provided a fantastic opportunity for Buru’s Perth staff to form a greater understanding and respect for Nyikina Mangala traditional owners’ culture and connection to the land, and to complement the existing interaction that Buru’s Kimberley based staff already have with Nyikina Mangala members.