News: RIO UPDATE 1-Rio Tinto to form indigenous advisory group after sacred site destruction fiasco

(Adds details on other measures)

March 23 (Reuters) - Miner Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO) said on Tuesday it will form an indigenous advisory group to identify gaps in current protocols for managing indigenous culture in Australia, months after destruction of a sacred heritage site for a mine.

The world's biggest iron ore miner said it would detail its plans later in the day through seminars to outline its progress towards improving its approach to cultural heritage and community relations.

Last year's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in Western Australia for an iron ore mine sparked a massive public and investor uproar, leading to the exit of top executives and a pledge by the company to overhaul its approach.

The company said on Tuesday it would start work with the indigenous advisory group as soon as it was established to review what the best practice was for management of cultural heritage sites in the mining industry.

The review will help identify gaps in the company's current protocols and provide a clear pathway to re-establish trust over time, it said.

Rio also said it was working with investor groups and was committed to making additional disclosures on the progress of heritage measures being undertaken by it.

The planned disclosures included measuring progress against the company's commitments, identifying how traditional owners' views were being sought and increasing governance arrangements to oversee the company's progress.

The miner said it would begin with interim reporting of these disclosures in the third quarter of 2021 and thereafter with annual reporting, along with periodic disclosure as appropriate.