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.
This approach reflects the research framework MBCN promotes across Melanesia, one in which Indigenous knowledge, kastom governance, and community priorities are not additions to science but the foundation on which scientific collaboration must be built. In Kunua, discussions centred on cultural connections to land, the local political structures that guide resource decisions, and the need for conservation outcomes to benefit people as much as biodiversity.
The project, jointly undertaken with Kansas University scientist Dr Rob Moyle and supported locally by KCN leaders Dr Junior Novera and Ms Annabelle Masiri, demonstrates how researchers can partner respectfully with communities. By sharing scientific insights, listening to local expectations, and creating space for community-led direction, Dr Lavery’s work is helping set a regional standard for how biodiversity research should be coordinated in Melanesia, grounded in partnership, cultural integrity, and shared stewardship of the environment.
