On the 5th of June 2026, communities across the globe marked World Environment Day, and I was fortunate enough to bring that spirit to life right here in Adelaide. Partnering with Green Adelaide, Conservation Volunteers Australia, Port Adelaide Enfield Council, and the Northern Coastal Conservation Officers, I helped organise a tree-planting initiative at the Barker Inlet Wetlands, bringing together student volunteers from Adelaide University and Flinders University alongside recipients of the New Colombo Plan (NCP) scholarship. In the lead-up to the event, I was interviewed by staff from Palladium and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), who wanted to hear more about the project and what motivated it.
Here’s what I shared.
You don’t have an academic or professional background in an environment-related area; what drew you to environmental conservation?
A fancy education is not necessary when one understands social responsibility.
Our individual actions impact our planet’s ecosystems and affect the next generation. Raised across Southeast Asia since the age of two, I experienced climate change’s impact on this vulnerable region. Since kindergarten, the school curriculum included planting trees and rice, and living with the elements without electricity or running water. I have always actively participated in mangrove planting in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Thailand.
When I turned 19-years-old, I started my own business to fund my own marine conservation projects. I led, organised, and executed events across the Philippines specifically through eco-tourism awareness workshops, freediving and coastal clean-ups, and coral propagation projects. My events had government permission and would gather over 500 volunteers from the non-profit, private, and academic sectors, including local, national, and international volunteer participants (such as competitive freedivers, scuba divers, and marine biologists).
More Images: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=BaBeBoBsConsultancy&set=a.975229505993926
Media release: https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-entertainment/2018/10/06/1857599/reigning-miss-cebu-leads-coastal-clean-carmen
What is your motivation for this event? How did the NCP scholarship in the Indo-Pacific play a role in your efforts to mitigate climate change? How will this event move us closer to realising our climate goals?
Given last year’s algae bloom issues across South Australia and the extravagant water demands and pollution from AI data centres, it is our moral responsibility to ensure resources remain for the next generation. Human beings depend on oxygen and the majority of it comes from the ocean. The Barker Inlet Wetlands contain regionally rare and vulnerable woodland species. It is also home to 50 species of local terrestrial plants, 12 aquatic plants, 130 bird species, and other animals, such as the rakali and Murray short-necked turtle. The water from the wetlands flows into the Barker Inlet, which forms part of the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary. This sanctuary contains important fish, shellfish, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows. These mangroves and seagrass are imperative for human survival and combating climate change.
Since NCP wants to strengthen its relationship with the Indo-Pacific, the best method is planting 1,000 seedlings at the Barker Inlet Wetlands, which is also part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF). The EAAF is a 20,000km migratory route for over 50 million birds, extending from the Arctic through Asia to Australia and New Zealand. The flyway spans 22 countries and over 600 species (including the Eastern Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, and Red Knot) that rely on this route with many species in decline. As a crucial destination, Australia hosts millions of shorebirds annually. If we NCP-ers want to truly support diplomacy, conservation, and regional collaboration, this treeplanting activity on World Environment Day (5 June 2026) has been organised for that reason.
Are there any NCP scholars and alumni attending?
Raine’s event will be attended by Luke Kradolfer, the 2026 Alumni Representative for Flinders University; Mandar Bornare, a Nicolas Baudin Program Laureate (2025); and student volunteers from Adelaide University and Flinders University. We are also very thankful for support from the Adelaide University Student Association (AUSA), the Adelaide University Global Learning Team, and Conservation Volunteers Australia.
How did Green Adelaide and Conservation Australia become involved?
In December 2025, I began contacting relevant government bodies and organisations willing to work with me on this initiative. I was very grateful that Green Adelaide (Warrick Barnes) responded and helped me coordinate this event with Conservation Volunteers Australia, Port Adelaide Enfield Council, and the Northern Coastal Conservation Officer (Danny Millbanks).
Through their proactive and passionate commitment to protecting regionally rare and vulnerable woodland species, I hope this initiative deepens NCP’s alumni and community engagement. This event enables NCP-ers to be actively involved in hands-on local conservation, provide opportunities for future alumni representatives to continue annual environmental activities with local partners, and support long-term habitat restoration through sustainable learning about wetland ecology.
Get involved in the NCP Network
Days like this remind me why the NCP Alumni Representative program exists in the first place: it turns a scholarship experience into something ongoing, something that keeps giving back to the communities and ecosystems that shaped us. As the 2026 Alumni Representative for Adelaide University, I have had the chance to build exactly the kind of leadership, organisational, and networking skills this role is designed to offer, and I’d love to see more of you step into it next.
If you completed an NCP program from 2025 onwards (or from 2023 onwards if you’re a First Nations alumnus), and have kept up your connection with your university, I’d genuinely encourage you to apply for the 2027 NCP Alumni Representative or First Nations Alumni Representative positions. It’s a 12-month volunteer commitment, but one that comes with real professional development and the chance to promote the NCP in your own community, in whatever way feels most meaningful to you.
Applications close Sunday, 13 September 2026, at 23:00 AEST. You can view the full position description and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gjD7rZde
I hope to see familiar faces, and some new ones, representing the NCP community next year.
vagabond scholar 
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