Vale Dr Graham Harrington

Dr Graham Harrington, 1935-2024

Graham was a towering giant of conservation in Australia, whose passion to foster a love of birds and nature in those around him reflects what makes BirdLife unique and special. Conservation requires people to both study and champion nature, and Graham’s wisdom and actions absolutely delivered on both fronts. He ensured everyone with a passion to help was able to join, learn, and become experts in their own right, regardless of their background.  

Graham’s contributions to Australian birds and BirdLife Australia since the 70s have been immense and critical. As a highly regarded research scientist and leader in both rangeland agriculture and tropical rainforest ecology, he considered a sound scientific basis as one of the core strengths of BirdLife Australia. This is a legacy that lives and breathes through all the work we do today. 

A summary of just some of his achievements: 

• In 1994, at the inaugural meeting of the North Queensland chapter of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU), he was voted in as the first convenor. This inaugural branch ambitiously encompassed a huge area from Mackay north to the Torres Strait and across to the Northern Territory–Queensland border. 
• Graham was an integral part of what is now known as BirdLife Northern Queensland (BNQ). Graham’s committee roles included Convenor 1994–1998 and 2004–2005, Conservation Representative (2001–2002, 2004 –2008), Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas/Key Biodiversity Areas (IBA/KBA) coordinator (2005–2018), Grasswren Survey Coordinator (leading the first surveys in 2008 up to 2018 when he “retired” as coordinator but is still a critical member of the coordination group), and occasional Secretary and Tablelands Activities Coordinator. 
• In 1998, Graham’s dedication to Birds Australia saw him become national President of the governing board until 2001 – a time when two critical projects that helped define the then Birds Australia, HANZAB and Atlas 2, were in full swing and demanding unprecedented resources. 
• In 2014, Graham received a BirdLife Australia Distinguished Service Award (BDSA) because of his work as IBA/KBA coordinator. His work has led to critical information being collected about north Queensland species at a time of major environmental change while generating enthusiasm for, and promoting the value of, citizen science. 
• He developed methods for ongoing monitoring of Tooth-billed and Golden Bowerbirds, and coordinated initial surveys within the Wet Tropics KBAs. 
• He pioneered methods for assessing the status of threatened species through simple techniques that can readily be used by everyday members without scientific backgrounds. This has resulted in literally hundreds of volunteers being able to contribute to the scientific work of assessing population status of the grasswrens, bowerbirds, and cranes.  
• Due to Graham’s achievements and contributions to BirdLife Australia, he was awarded an Honorary Life Member of BirdLife Australia in 2022.

“Here’s just one example of Graham’s legacy: He is largely responsible for why we still have Carpentarian Grasswrens left on the planet. 

“He was part of a small group that was alarmed to see that this bird was disappearing from their only recently discovered range around Mount Isa (having already been lost from their traditional range in the Northern Territory the decade before). This small group identified that inappropriate burning was the cause. Graham led the charge to get adequate monitoring (led by BirdLife Northern Queensland volunteers) and to lobby for changes to land management. 

“The first issue of the magazine I edited in 2009 had the Carpentarian Grasswren on the cover and outlined the work Graham and his colleagues were undertaking to save them. His science-based arguments worked and now land managers of all stripes including national parks, indigenous owners and even some pastoralists and mining companies have changed their burning patterns.

“15 years on, Carpentarian Grasswrens seem to be thriving. 

“I know a lot of people worked to make this happen but without Graham at the heart of it, I doubt we would have got this outcome.”

 

– Sean Dooley, National Public Affairs Manager at BirdLife Australia and a friend of Graham’s. 

 

All of Graham’s projects left an indelible mark on nature in Australia, inspiring for multiple and future generations of conservationists and citizen scientists. 

All conservationists aspire to build a better world, Graham in his wisdom gave us the blueprint.