ECA Newsletter 20 January - June 2026

Welcome to this our twentieth ECA newsletter for Eco Custodian Advocates. Wow! This represents our 10th anniversary which came around on the 1st of July 2026. The team on this day were split, some out in the field on Goodenough Island on the wagioia forest wallaby, whilst I was at the 5th Food & Nutrition Conference in Lae where I presented a paper. We have really enjoyed the opportunities that have allowed us to continue in our work and we continue to dedicate our efforts in caring for place, and valuing the many customs that link people to their place. Not to worry, we enjoy our work especially out-of-office and we can also celebrate when we are all back in Alotau together. In this time we also returned to the outer Kiriwina Islands and the Duke of York Islands to finish off the Building Resilience to Climate Change initiative on Food Security that was spread over the last few years. Timely as Milne Bay Islands were impacted by Tropical Cyclones Narelle Cat 3 and Maila Cat 5 that were quickly followed by the beginnings of an El Nino drought. These feature in this Newsletter. I would like to thank everyone who has supported and believed in us through the last 10 years. Looking back so much has happened and much has been achieved. Whilst looking forward there are always new challenges that can be taken up. We have really enjoyed the opportunities that have allowed us to continue in our work and we continue to dedicate our efforts in caring for place, and valuing the many customs that link people to their place.