Riverland property transformed into haven for endangered regent parrots

On the banks of the River Murray in South Australia, a property once dominated by rows of wine grapevines has been transformed into a safe haven for an endangered bird species.

Tony and Cherie Townsend's property in Murtho, Riverland, is one of many that have removed vines from the ground. Instead of replacing 40 acres of vines with another crop, the pair decided in 2022 to return their property to native vegetation.

"It was a lot of time and effort [managing vineyards] and it wasn't the reason we bought the property in the first place," Ms Townsend said.

The decision to revitalise the riverfront property was an easy one for Ms Townsend, but she recognised the fortunate situation they were in to be able to make such a sacrifice compared to others nearby.

"The decision to remove the vines was probably not as hard as what it has been for some other local growers," she said.

Mr Townsend said one of the driving factors in returning the site to native vegetation, rather than transitioning to another crop, was the potential return of the endangered regent parrot.

"We don't get an income from it but we get an emotional return," Mr Townsend said.

The pair collaborated with the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board to bring the site to life. The property was identified as close to the perfect site for regent parrots, sitting right along a flight path for the eye-catching native bird.

Regent parrot numbers have been in decline for several years, with a lack of available nesting sites part of the population problem. In its most recent census, the Landscape Board only recorded 400 breeding pairs of regent parrots in the Riverland.

"With regent parrots ... anything we can do to restore and return land back to its natural form is amazing," threatened fauna ecologist Melissa Burford said.

The South Australian Regent Parrot Recovery Team has also been consulted in the best way to attract the parrots and boost populations. Chair Kevin Smith has been surveying the parrots for 35 years and said populations had remained steady in recent years.

"It's very early stages but the regent parrots can get to their food source and not have to go through dangerous obstacles to get out to the mallee," Mr Smith said.

The wine grape industry continues to battle an oversupply and a decline in wine consumption globally. The sight of grapevines being ripped out has become increasingly common across the Riverland.

"We've done eight harvests here and after 2022 ... pricing was heading south," Mr Townsend said.

The process of restoring the land is expected to take time, but it is hoped that when the trees and vegetation begin to mature, even more birds will be drawn to the area.

"We've had school students get out there on their property," Ms Burford said.

Mr Townsend said they benefited tremendously by revegetating the land, which had helped deepen the bond between their family.

"We've had four generations of our family involved in planting, which has been amazing itself," Mr Townsend said.

"I'd like to leave it in a better place than we found it," Mr Townsend said.