Dr Tyrone Lavery from the University of Melbourne recently led a series of community consultations in the Kunua District of Bougainville as part of preparations for an upcoming biodiversity research program. His visit focused on building genuine understanding with local leaders and households, ensuring that free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is central to how scientific work is introduced and carried out.

The Tambu Symposium, a 2024 Melbourne Biodiversity Institute Seed Funding Project, brought together Indigenous knowledge‑holders from across Melanesia — including Papua New Guinea, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia — to advance shared understanding and recognition of tambu/tabu customary conservation systems.

In June 2025, the International Congress on Conservation Biology (ICCB) was held in Brisbane, Australia, bringing together conservation scientists, Indigenous leaders, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world. For Melanesian communities, ICCB 2025 marked a moment of visibility, connection, and collective realisation.