Ms. Lavenie Tawake has a Master’s degree in Marine Science from the University of the South Pacific and has over 20 years of experience in the environment and community development sector in Fiji and the wider Pacific. Ms. Tawake has particular expertise in working effectively with a wide range of government and community stakeholders to successfully mainstream community perspectives into national and regional policies. Her experience at the Institute of Applied Sciences has allowed her to develop, manage and evaluate natural resource management projects with grass root communities, sub-national, national stakeholders in Fiji as well as collaborate with regional and international funding agencies. She has worked and developed research interests in integrated coastal management, climate change adaptation, indigenous protected area management, waste management, and gender mainstreaming and community resilience. She is also an indigenous Fijian practitioner of natural resource management and an advocate for indigenous rights and wellbeing.