From 1–3 July 2026, the Pacific Innovation Forum on Climate and Environment (PIFCE)—known as Wave Makers 2026 — brought together governments, researchers, development partners, businesses, and community actors in Port‑Vila, Vanuatu, to showcase solutions and strengthen collaboration on climate resilience. Organised by the Government of Vanuatu with the Pacific Climate Change Centre (hosted by SPREP) and V‑Lab Vanuatu, the forum offered a regional stage. Gardiens Des Îles (GDI), a Melanesia Bio‑Cultural Network (MBCN) member organisation from New Caledonia, used it to place customary and community‑led natural resource management at the centre of the conversation.

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.

In February 2026, the Pacific Academy of Sciences (PAS) held its inaugural Congress, "Harnessing the Knowledge of the Pacific," in Apia, Samoa. Over three days, from 16–18 February, more than 250 academics, government leaders, researchers, practitioners, and emerging scientists gathered in Apia to strengthen the region's scientific capacity. The Melanesia Bio‑Cultural Network (MBCN) was privileged to represent its member community organisations across Melanesia in supporting Pacific Science and Indigenous Knowledge.

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.