February 2026: SOCPacific2R’s four USP students finish their internship in Nouméa

It’s a wrap! The project’s four USP students – Devavrat Bishwa, Matina Kaitapu, Sarah-Fina Manulevu, Watesoni Nata – spent three weeks (7-28 February 2026) at the IRD Centre in Nouméa for a writing retreat, bringing to a close the research internship with SOCPacific2R which they had started in September 2025.

Their main objective: to share the results of their research work with knowledge holders and partner communities on Ovalau Island, in the academic sphere and beyond.

Their main activities: 1) creation of a (second) StoryMap, entitled Voices from the Daveta: Local Knowledge, Marine Biodiversity, and Customary Governance of Ovalau’s Reef Passages; and 2) drafting of a collective paper, led by themselves, with support of the SOCPacific2R team.

This trip to Nouméa also included other highlights for these interns, including the participation in a lecture with Patrick Christie for his students from the University of Washington, a guided visit of the Pacific Community (SPC), a group visit to the Tjibaou Cultural Centre and its rural women’s market, and a day-trip to the Amédée islet and lighthouse near Boulari reef passage.