A Blueprint for Community–University Partnership: Kunua Conservation Network Signs MOU with PNG UNRE

A Melanesia Bio‑Cultural Network (MBCN) member organisation has taken an important step in bringing science and Indigenous knowledge closer together. On Tuesday 14 July 2026, the Kunua Conservation Network Inc. (KCN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment (PNG UNRE), through the University's Momis Ocean & Climate Research Institute (MOCRI), establishing a ten‑year framework for collaboration in climate change, ocean and atmospheric sciences, biodiversity conservation, environmental governance, disaster risk management, and knowledge sharing.

The agreement was signed by PNG UNRE Vice Chancellor Professor Aisak Pue and KCN Director and Chief Scientist Dr Junior Novera. It was witnessed by MOCRI Director Professor Chalapan Kaluwin, Mr Bernard Suruman of the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority, and Ms Beatrix Oni, Acting Director of the Directorate of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change of the Autonomous Bougainville Government, alongside academics from PNG UNRE — a signing that drew together community, university, and government under one commitment.

For KCN, the partnership is a milestone. Dr Novera described it as a momentous achievement for the University and for Bougainville, one that offers a platform to advance climate research, protect biodiversity, and — in his words — "combine scientific research with our traditional knowledge systems." That ambition sits at the very heart of MBCN's purpose: to foster respectful partnerships between traditional ecological knowledge and science through joint research and shared data governance. For its part, PNG UNRE welcomed the agreement as the start of an important collaboration, with MOCRI opening new avenues for research and learning across Papua New Guinea, the Pacific, and beyond.

The MoU will create opportunities for collaborative research, staff exchanges, internships, conferences, and workshops, and will open pathways for Bougainville students to pursue specialised studies at PNG UNRE in fields ranging from environmental science and climate change to ocean and island management, biodiversity conservation, environmental law, and GIS and remote sensing. Importantly, research and community engagement in Bougainville will be guided by the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), ensuring that Indigenous knowledge, customary governance, and community ownership of data are respected — a safeguard that mirrors MBCN's own core values.

Beyond its immediate benefits, this agreement carries wider significance for the Network. It stands as one of the first working examples of the kind of in‑country university partnership that MBCN champions — a community‑led conservation organisation and a national university choosing to work as equals. As such, it offers a valuable starting point for how MBCN designs partnership agreements between its community and tribal member organisations and local universities across Melanesia, strengthening the interface between science and Indigenous knowledge while keeping community authority and data sovereignty firmly at the centre. The lessons from Kunua will help shape a shared model that other members can adapt to their own contexts.

The collaboration supports Bougainville's Integrated Sustainable Development Plan, Vision 2052, and Green and Blue Economy Policy.