Tony Parkes, the banker who replanted a rainforest – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Unsplash)
The Big Scrub once blanketed roughly 75,000 hectares of fertile basalt country along the far north coast of New South Wales. By the late twentieth century, clearing, grazing and weed invasion had reduced it to scattered fragments that together covered little more than one percent of the original extent. The remaining patches required sustained coordination among private landowners, government agencies, scientists and volunteers if they were to survive and expand.
The Scale of What Had Been Lost
Lowland subtropical rainforest once supported dense stands of figs, vines and palms that sustained fruit doves and other specialised wildlife. Fragmentation left those remnants vulnerable at their edges, where invasive plants advanced and domestic stock continued to graze. Legal protection alone proved insufficient without active intervention to reconnect and enlarge the surviving areas.
Restoration therefore demanded more than occasional planting days. It required repeated site visits, careful species selection, ongoing maintenance and the willingness of multiple parties to stay engaged long after initial enthusiasm faded. The work was technical, repetitive and local in character.
A Late-Career Shift From Finance to Fieldwork
Tony Parkes grew up near bush and estuary in Hobart before pursuing studies in science and business management. He built a career in investment banking in Sydney and retired at the age of 56. Rather than settling into conventional leisure, he and his wife Rowena purchased property in the Northern Rivers region and began studying the history of the Big Scrub.
The couple started by planting rainforest species on their own land. What began as a private project soon drew Parkes into wider efforts to coordinate restoration across the landscape. His background in management and finance proved useful for organising committees, securing resources and maintaining momentum among diverse stakeholders.
Bringing Together the Necessary Partners
Successful recovery depended on convincing private landholders to participate, pressing government agencies for support and linking botanists, bush regenerators, nursery operators, donors and volunteers. Parkes helped keep these groups aligned after the first wave of interest had passed.
The approach emphasised persistence over spectacle. Regular follow-up visits, accurate record-keeping and incremental expansion of planted areas mattered more than headline-grabbing announcements. Over time, the cumulative effect of many small, well-managed projects began to enlarge and connect the surviving fragments.
Practical Outcomes and Ongoing Requirements
Replanted areas have started to provide habitat and improve connectivity between remnants. The work continues to rely on the same combination of scientific knowledge, local commitment and steady funding that made the initial gains possible. Without continued coordination, gains remain vulnerable to weeds, drought and changes in land use.
Parkes’s involvement illustrates how skills developed in one sector can transfer to environmental projects when applied with discipline. The model he helped shape remains relevant wherever fragmented ecosystems require long-term stewardship rather than one-off interventions.
