The Riverland Rangers work primarily on Calperum and Taylorville Stations in the north-eastern section of the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin. The properties cover 345,000 hectares and contain a range of important environmental and cultural assets, including Ramsar listed wetlands, large expanses of remnant mallee vegetation, a range of nationally threatened species, and many significant cultural sites.
The ranger project commenced in 2010 with the aim of increasing the meaningful involvement of Aboriginal people in natural and cultural resources management, and improving their personal, family and community wellbeing. This reflected the local Aboriginal community’s aspirations and was also seen as a way of addressing a range of social issues facing the community.
The Riverland Rangers' undertake a wide range of activities to improve the quality and extent of the properties wetlands and mallee habitats, managing the critical habitat of the nationally endangered black-eared miner and the vulnerable malleefowl. They also collect seed from local remnant vegetation and maintain a seed bank in their extensive nursery. The rangers also do regular feral animal and plant control, cultural site protection and biodiversity surveys.
The project is a partnership between the Australian Government, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board and the Australian Landscapes Trust.
