Our Team

Hugu is based in Pongso no Tao in Taiwan, and in 2000 co-founded the Cultural Taiwan Consortium, a national NGO that works towards an integrated national identity by seeking connectedness to the land and nature.
He assisted in launching the Taiwan Indigenous Conserved Territories Union (TICTU), which today federates 748 tribal communities. Hugu’s vision of restoring Indigenous territories is about tribal communities deeply embedded in their ecological habitats; indigenous rights fully implemented by traditional institutions; local knowledge and land ethics adaptively applied;
and collaborative livelihoods achieving common wellness for all living beings.

Russ has extensive knowledge of ocean management including integrated marine use plans, fisheries, marine protected areas and shipping

Nuunoq is a small boat fisherman and receiver of the Nordic Council Nature and Environment Prize 2018 on behalf of the PISUNA-net Local Observations database in Greenland (PISUNA is a world leading project focussed on community based monitoring).

Translator for Nuunoq (Per Ole Frederiksen).

Mibu is a CSIRO researcher focused on the analysis of natural resources, data and other information to assist in the sustainable use of Australia and the South Pacific’s marine assets. Mibu seeks to connect her work in marine ecology with the wealth of knowledge of the Traditional Owners of the land, influenced by her own background. Mibu is an Aboriginal woman from North Stradbroke Island and is part of the Quandamooka people of Moreton Bay.
She has connections with the Noonuccal, Ngnugi and Goorenpul clans of the area.

Dean was born on Flinders Island in 1967. Moving to Launceston in 1972, he continued to return to the island each year to go fishing with his Father and Grandfather, gaining a clear understanding of boat skills and first  hand knowledge about life at sea that forms an important part of his family heritage. Greeno's arts practice centres primarily on sculpture. It draws heavily upon his Palwa Connections to culture and country, the journey of his people have been on through pre- and post-colonial times, and their future cultural path. An important aspect of this are the effects of climate change on cultural practice and  relationships with colonists on this issue.

Kimberly delivers high quality science that supports sustainable fisheries and aquaculture outcomes for New Zealand. In particular, improving Maori cultural, social and economic well-being and caring for our aquatic environments through kaitiakitanga.

Grace is a Legal and Policy Consultant, with the Wildlife Conservation Society. She has degrees from the University of Papua New Guinea and the Australian National University, and has worked for several organisations as a legal and policy consultant.