Big Scrub rainforest conservationist Tony Parkes dies at 96
Australian biologist Tony Parkes, regarded as a pioneer of rainforest restoration, has died aged 96. Big Scrub Landcare, the foundation he set up to reconnect the surviving 1% of the once 75,000-hectare Big Scrub rainforest on the New South Wales north coast, has been active for more than three decades. The state government has declared a national day of tribute.
Australian biologist Tony Parkes, regarded as a pioneer of rainforest restoration, died on Friday at his home in Lismore on the New South Wales north coast at the age of 96, his family said. According to ABC News Australia, Big Scrub Landcare — the organisation Parkes set up in 1992 — has since planted more than 250,000 native trees to reconnect the corridor of what remains of the once 75,000-hectare Big Scrub rainforest.
Parkes was born in Sydney in 1929 and, after studying ecology at the University of Cambridge, returned to Australia to take up a chair in plant science at Macquarie University. He produced rainforest core seed banks for the CSIRO and the state Department of the Environment; his method was cited in a 2018 UNESCO report as the field starting point for "small-scale rewilding" models.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has named 21 June "Big Scrub Tribute Day" after the funeral. Australia's Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek told the ABC: "Tony Parkes showed future generations that a small remnant of rainforest, if saved, can become a laboratory for the sector." The family has asked for donations to Big Scrub Landcare and the Australian Rainforest Foundation in lieu of flowers.
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