A new Indigenous-led network connecting conservation and cultural organisations from Melanesia has been launched at the University of Melbourne's annual Oceania Oration. The Melanesia Bio-Cultural Network (MBCN) will support biodiversity protection, cultural preservation and sustainable livelihoods.
The MBCN connects 10 community organisations across the region, including Solomon Islands, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Members include the Baru Conservation Alliance in the Solomon Islands and the Kunua Conservation Network in Bougainville.
The network will help communities share knowledge, strengthen partnerships and develop responses to biodiversity loss and climate challenges, supporting projects in co-designed research, community conservation, local livelihoods and policy advocacy.
The University of Melbourne is the network's institutional home, providing support through its Oceania Institute, Melbourne Biodiversity Institute and Indigenous Knowledge Institute. This includes funding and research and policy engagement grounded in Indigenous methodologies, data sovereignty and collective knowledge.
Over its first three years, the MBCN will focus on strengthening connections between Indigenous communities, supporting collaboration with research institutions, and contributing Indigenous perspectives to policy discussions across the region.
Baru Conservation Alliance Founder Chief Esau Kekeubata said the network reflects a long-held understanding within Melanesian communities that the wellbeing of people and the environment are closely connected.
"For our communities, conservation is more than protecting biodiversity," Chief Kekeubata said. "It is also about sustaining our cultures, strengthening our relationships with one another and ensuring future generations can continue to live well on their land. Peace, culture and the environment are deeply interconnected."
University of Melbourne Oceania Institute Research Fellow and MBCN Lead, Dr Jeffrey Noro, said the network builds on many years of community-led work across the region.
"We're building on decades of grassroots activism and it's a look to the future," Dr Noro said.
"By connecting local knowledge, governance and conservation practice, the network supports communities to protect their environments, sustain their cultural traditions and build more resilient futures on their own terms."
Dr Tania Miletic, Co-Director, Initiative for Peacebuilding, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne and Ms Sana Balai, Haatutu (traditional knowledge holder and spokesperson for the Clan chief), Nakaripa Clan of Buka Island in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. Picture: James Henry
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global) Professor Frank Vetere said the University of Melbourne is proud to support a network led by Indigenous communities.
"The University's role is to empower Indigenous communities and organisations to connect, share knowledge and learn from one another," Professor Vetere said.
"The Melanesia Bio-Cultural Network recognises that some of the most valuable expertise on conservation, culture and sustainable development already exists within communities across Melanesia.
"By bringing those voices together, the network will help strengthen Indigenous-led approaches to the challenges and opportunities facing the region."
The Oration brought together community leaders, researchers and policymakers to discuss Indigenous leadership, conservation, peacebuilding and cultural resilience.
It featured a panel of Melanesian community leaders, including Chief Kekeubata and Dorothy Esau from the Baru Conservation Alliance and Dr Junior Novera from the Kunua Conservation Network. Joining them was environmentalist Professor Tim Flannery and Walkley Award-winning journalist Mary-Louise O'Callaghan.
Moderated by Dr Tania Miletic, Co-Director of the University's Initiative for Peacebuilding, the discussion explored the role of Indigenous knowledge, conservation and peacebuilding in supporting communities across the Pacific.
The annual event forms part of the University's broader engagement with partners and communities throughout the Pacific.
For more on the University's work in Oceania, visit the Oceania Institute.
