Declines and Disappearances of frogsAUSTRALIAN Edited by Alastair Campbell Biodiversity Group Environment Australia GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 © Commonwealth of Australia 1999 Published by Environment Australia. ISBN 0 642 54656 8 Published December 1999 This work is copyright. Information presented in this document may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or training purposes, subject to the inclusion of acknowledgment of the source and provided no commercial usage or sale of the material occurs. Reproduction for purposes other than those given requires written permission from Environment Australia. Requests for permission should be addressed to Assistant Secretary, Corporate Relations and Information Branch, Environment Australia, GPO Box 787, Canberra, ACT, 2601. For copies of this publication, please contact Environment Australia’s Community Information Unit on freecall 1800 803 772. 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Front cover photo: Litoria rheocola, Creek Frog Environment Australia Library Photo by: Keith McDonald Designed by: Di Walker Design, Canberra Contents Foreword Preface The Gordian Knots of the International Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force (DAPTF) Stan Orchard 9 A Review of Declining Frogs in Northern Queensland Keith McDonald and Ross Alford 14 Chytrid Fungi and Amphibian Declines: Overview, Implications and Future Directions Lee Berger, Rick Speare and Alex Hyatt 23 Measuring and Analysing Developmental Instability as a Tool for Monitoring Frog Populations Ross Alford, Kay Bradfield and Stephen Richards 34 An Assessment of Frog Declines in Wet Subtropical Australia Harry Hines, Michael Mahony and Keith McDonald 44 The Status of Rainforest Stream Frogs in North-Eastern NSW: Decline or Recovery? Ross Goldingay, David Newell and Mark Graham 64 Frogs in the Timber Production Forests of the Dorrigo Escarpment in Northern NSW:An Inventory of Species Present and the Conservation of Threatened Species Francis Lemckert and Rachael Morse 72 Review of the Declines and Disappearances within the Bell Frog Species Group (Litoria aurea species group) in Australia Michael Mahony 81 A Preliminary Assessment of the Status of the Green and Golden Bell Frog in North-Eastern NSW Ben Lewis and Ross Goldingay 94 Loss and Degradation of Red-Crowned Toadlet Habitat in the Sydney Region Karen Thumm and Michael Mahony 99 Status of Temperate Riverine Frogs in South-Eastern Australian Graeme Gillespie and Harry Hines 109 3 Potential Impacts of Introduced Fish and Fish Translocations on Australian Amphibians Graeme Gillespie and Jean-Marc Hero 131 Population Declines and Range Contraction in Australian Alpine Frogs William Osborne, David Hunter and Greg Hollis 145 Implementation of a Population Augmentation Project for Remnant Populations of the Southern Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne corroboree) David Hunter,Will Osborne, Gerry Marantelli and Ken Green 158 Husbandry; Science or Art? Are Captive Technologies Ready to Contribute to Recovery Processes for Australian Frogs? Gerry Marantelli 168 Conservation Status of Frogs in Western Australian Dale Roberts, Simon Conroy and Kim Williams 177 Toxicological Issues for Amphibians in Australia Reinier Mann and Joseph Bidwell 185 Declines and Disappearances of Frogs: Risk Assessment and Contingency Strategies Michael Mahony, John Clulow, Robert Browne, and Melissa Pomering 202 Community Involvement in threatened frog surveys, monitoring and recovery in Australia Harold Ehmann 212 Applications of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) to Endangered Anuran Amphibians John Clulow, Michael Mahony, Robert Browne, Melissa Pomering and Andrew Clark 219 Appendices Appendix 1: Checklist of Australian Frogs ‘The Action Plan For Australian Frogs’ 226 Appendix 2: Threatened Frogs: Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 229 Appendix 3: Threatened Frogs: Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council list of threatened Australian fauna 230 Appendix 4: Recommendations from ‘The Action Plan For Australian Frogs’ 231 Appendix 5: The Conservation status of Australian Frogs,‘The Action Plan for Australian Frogs’ 233 4 Foreword Experts continue to reaffirm that a significant proportion of Australia formed a National Threatened Frogs Working the world’s frog fauna is in decline. Group in August 1997 and held a national workshop on the issue in November 1997. This collection of papers identifies While frogs have been great survivors for many millions of many of the issues confronting our amphibian biologists, years, habitat loss and degradation are imposing themselves managers and enthusiasts. I commend it to the reader. at increasing levels. More alarmingly frogs in pristine environments are being affected. Even in protected rainforest habitats frogs have suffered a mysterious fate and despite extensive searching, some frog species can no longer be located in the wild. The state of our frogs, who breathe and absorb water through their skin, and their relevance as potential early warning signals for water and air borne pollutants makes Stephen Hunter these signs especially important. Head of Biodiversity Group Enviroment Australia The mystery of our disappearing frogs remains to be solved. While a host of theories on the phenomenon have been elucidated and keenly debated, investigations continue on the many pressures and threats affecting frogs in Australia. Perhaps some day soon we will be in a position to reverse the negative trends we have witnessed in recent times. 5 Preface With over 200 species, Australia has one of the most diverse The purpose of the Workshop was to: frog assemblages in the world. For many Australian frog 1. provide an overview of the current status of knowledge about species however the prognosis is grim. Dramatic population species which are declining; declines in some Australian frog species have been reported since the 1980s, some of the more serious crashes occurring 2. provide an overview of what’s known about the decline and in pristine habitats. Frustratingly the causal factors for many how it is being tackled; declines remain elusive. 3. identify gaps in knowledge; In April 1997, Environment Australia published the Action 4. recommend priorities for national effort for research, Plan for Australian Frogs.This plan identified 27 Australian management and community attention; frog species at threat and a further 14 species that may be of 5. help set future priority actions for the Working Group; and concern but which were poorly understood. Recovery 6. establish on-going communication links between all outlines, identifying those research and management actions participants and the wider community. required, were presented for the 27 species believed to be at most threat. Following the Workshop the Working Group met and emphasised: the need to maintain a broad perspective and to In May 1997, the National Threatened Frog Working Group continue monitoring and research on a range of possible recognised a need to bring together specialists in research, causal factors; the need to support research into new areas management and policy making to discuss their understanding — particularly disease as a potentially major factor influencing of the continuing declines to our frog fauna and to prioritise global declines; the need to support strategic research and to future action for addressing the issue. As a result a two day develop protocols to address this issue; and the need to ‘National Threatened Frog Workshop’ was held at the support research on fluctuating asymmetry as a possible early University of Canberra in November 1997 sponsored by warning tool for predicting declines.They also requested that Environment Australia, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife the workshop proceedings be published; that a brochure on Service, the University of Canberra and the Worldwide Fund declining frogs be prepared; that a web site to provide up to for Nature.The Workshop brought together some 80 people date information about declining frog issues be established from throughout Australia and overseas involved in frog and that a national but restricted internet discussion group research, management and policy development and included on frogs should be established. representatives from government agencies, educational institutions and non-government organisations. 6 I am pleased to observe that the majority of these initiatives, I believe this symposium makes an extremely valuable along with the implementation of the recommendations of contribution to our knowledge of our threatened frog fauna. the Action Plan for Australian Frogs, are in hand and While the recovery of threatened frogs and the search for continue to be supported by a wide range of sponsor our missing frog species continues to be highly problematic it organisations. In particular, a number of important projects remains a work of the highest priority. are supported through the Commonwealth Government’s Natural Heritage Trust. The agreement by Environment Australia to publish the Alastair Campbell proceedings of that workshop has led to the development of Environment Australia this set of 20 papers. It includes regional overviews of the status of threatened frog species, summaries of current research efforts, and much discussion on the technical tools and priorities for action.The papers presented here represent the dedicated work