Melissa Thomas

While at face value resource development on islands can be viewed as problematic and at odds with conservation values, there are exceptions where development has shifted from legislated environmental management actions to the management of an environmental stewardship paradigm. This chapter discusses the development of an environmental ethos – or culture – among an oil and gas workforce on Barrow Island, Western Australia. We provide examples from an oil and gas company operating on Barrow Island that demonstrates how correct environmental designs in the engineering phase of a project, together with positive environmental behaviours by personnel during the construction and operations phase of a project, can shape an environmental stewardship in the workforce, leading to a well-managed environment from a nature conservation perspective. The Barrow Island example can be used as a model for establishing environmental cultures in teams working within the wider resource sector, particularly where new developments are being planned in sensitive areas.