Tree-changer Peter Murphy has spent the past six months navigating the processes of ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) to ensure the new not-for-profit institute starts out on a solid legislative footing to garner confidence for its ambitious plans.

ASIC accreditation has just come through, enabling Mr Murphy to go public and gather the threads of the initiative’s multiple aspects in time for an official launch slated for October.

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A long-time bird fancier since he began breeding finches as a boy (although now he wouldn’t think of caging a bird), the institute reflects a happy coincidence of his retirement to Tenterfield, a lifelong interest in ecology, the shire’s natural resources and Mr Murphy’s international background in ecotourism and project management.

He started out as a University of Queensland-trained lawyer and economist before his career took him to high profile positions with World Wildlife Fund International based in Switzerland, the Swiss Australian Chamber of Commerce, the superyacht industry in Singapore, and many other projects across the globe.

Closer to home he was managing director of ecotourism-themed Mt Tamborine Vineyard & Winery, but now his connections forged from a lifetime of international networking are at the disposal of an enterprise that aims to make Tenterfield the must-see destination for a huge tourism market.

“In Australia ecotourism is the fastest-growing tourism segment, and within that birdwatching is the fastest growing sector,” Mr Murphy said.

And it’s not just domestic visitors he is targetting.

“Worldwide more than three million tourists a year experience a birdwatching adventure, and on average they spend more than $5000 per birdwatching trip.

“It’s a $15 billion industry and growing.”

The institute will satisfy several of his aims, but primarily fulfilling his philosophy that the only way to convince humans to conserve and rehabilitate bird species is to show people how to make money out of them.

“Responsible management of birdwatching tourism has benefits for the birds and for conservation,” he said.

To that end the institute’s mandate will be research, education and training in all things ornithological, and leading ornithologist Dr Roger Lederer has already committed his support. Dr Lederer is Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at California State University with expertise in ecology and science education as well as ornithology. He could be considered the David Attenborough of the bird world.

“Of the thousand or more people I’ve met in the field, he’s the brightest person in the world of ornithologoy,” Mr Murphy said.

He is also negotiating the use of existing education modules and other resources to leverage the synergistic cooperation of international birdwatching entities.

In return Mr Murphy proposes a Tenterfield-based international birdwatching festival that will act as an industry forum drawing these interests to not only share information but to promote their own agendas to the captured audience, be it off-shore tours, equipment sales or other interests. He projects that it could become a major international festival within a decade.

The festival could be the home of international bird photography and art competitions and bird calling competitions. It could also hold interest for the less-ornithological amongst us with fun-yet-educational activities like exploring how different body types impact balancing prowess, and how difficult it is for humans to replicate birds-on-a-wire.

Underpinning the local tourism industry will be trained guides specialising in one or more of the six designated birdwatching districts in the shire, and/or in certain aspects of the experience such as bird photography. These districts and their unique birdwatching opportunities will draw the more intrepid tourists out to the far reaches of the shire, while also catering to those who wish to stay close to town. (There are 105 bird species in Tenterfield Park alone.)

"The institute's research shows job-creating birdwatching tourism projects can save our shire towns which are struggling to survive,” Mr Murphy said.

“In fact, large programs of integrated projects can create hundreds of direct and indirect, full and part time jobs.”

The tour market ranges from the novice birdwatcher satisfied with a one-hour walking tour, to the dedicated twitchers willing to go to extreme lengths to record as many sightings in a given period as possible (as depicted in the movie The Big Year.)

Mr Murphy anticipates an accreditation scheme for qualitifed guides, educated locally. Given the global interest in the area, the education facility would draw in students from overseas who could then return as unofficial ambassadors for Tenterfield tourism.

The appeal of guided tours lies not only in the additional narrative provided on the history and habits of the birds but also in informal control of interactions with the birds, such as not imposing on sensitive habitats and avoiding flash photography.

Mr Murphy would also like to see traffic control measures like viewing platforms in key urban sighting areas like Tenterfield Dam and Tenterfield Creek, where he feels rehabilitation efforts would greatly enhance not only the birdlife but the amenity in general.

Mr Murphy said no other institute in the world focuses exclusively on birdwatching, but that Tenterfield is the ideal location.

“Tenterfield has so many unique selling opportunities. It’s uniquely different from other birdwatching destinations, with a multitude of different habits such as creeks, grasslands, wetlands and alpine, and a  wide variety of flora. Sixty per cent of birds’ diet is seeds from grass.

“We also have magnificent landscapes and fantastic features like our National Parks. We have more than 300 bird species, that’s more than a third of all Australian native species including many which are endangered, and three species not found anywhere else.

“I firmly believe this could become the most important industry in Tenterfield. The potential is mind-blowing.”