Riverland Rangers

The Riverland Rangers work primarily on Calperum and Taylorville Stations. These are located 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  
• many significant cultural sites. 

The ranger project commenced in 2010 with the aims of:  

• increasing the meaningful involvement of Aboriginal people in natural and cultural resources management  
• improving personal, family and community wellbeing.  

These aims reflected the local Aboriginal community’s aspirations. The project 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, including:  

• improving the quality and extent of the property's wetlands and mallee habitats 
• managing the critical habitat of the nationally endangered black-eared miner and the vulnerable malleefowl 
• collecting seeds from local remnant vegetation and maintaining a seed bank in their extensive nursery 
• undertaking regular feral animal and plant control  
• protecting cultural sites 
• conducting 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.