Department for Environment and Heritage Murraylands Region Recovery Plan for the Golden Bell Frog Litoria raniformis in the South Australian River Murray Corridor October 2006 Department for Environment and Heritage South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board Published by the Department for Environment and Heritage, Berri, South Australia © Department for Environment and Heritage, 2005 Draft edited by staff of Murraylands Regional Office, Department for Environment and Heritage. For further information contact Regional Conservation Directorate, Murraylands Department for Environment and Heritage Berri Office 28 Vaughan Terrace Berri SA 5343 Australia Phone: (61 8) 8595 2111 This d oc ument may b e c ited as Sc hultz, M.A. (2005) Rec overy Plan for the Gold en Bell Frog Litoria raniformis in the South Australian River Murray Corrid or, Department for Environment a nd Heritage Ad elaid e, South Australia. Acknowledgements Cover photographs: Golden Bell Frog © Andrew Franc is. Taxonomy follows Robinson et al. (2000). Distribution map by Benno Curth. This projec t was funded by the Integrated Natural Resourc e Management Group for the South Australian Murray Darling Basin Inc. Summary The Golden Bell Frog Litoria raniformis also c ommonly known as the Southern Bell Frog is a large frog (up to 10 c m long) assoc iated with permanent and temporary water bodies. This frog was onc e found ac ross a large portion of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania , but has suffered a dramatic dec line throughout its distribution sinc e the early 1990s. In South Australia it is now restric ted to sc attered populations in the River Murray c orridor and in the south-east. As a result of this dec line the Golden Bell Frog has been listed as Endangered under the IUCN (2000) Red List of Threatened Spec ies, Vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protec tion and Biodiversity Conservation Ac t 1999. In South Australia it is listed as Vulnerable under the National Parks and Wildlife Ac t 1972. The reasons for the dec line of the Golden Bell Frog are not well understood and may c onstitute multiple fac tors. Certainly habitat loss and habitat fragmentation have played a major role, other c ontributing fac tors c ould inc lude, river regulation and high levels of c onsumptive water use whic h may be exac erbated by prolonged periods of drought, predation of eggs and tadpoles by introduced fish, diseases such as Chytridiomycosis, toxins including herbic ides polluting wetlands and pressures from grazing and other forms of habitat degradation. In addition, in the long-term c limate c hange also has the potential to contribute to the decline of this species. This rec overy plan aims in the short-term to identify the breeding and refuge habitat requirements of the Golden Bell Frog within the South Australian River Murray c orridor and initiate management programs to stop further population dec lines and provide c onditions favourable to population inc reases. In the long term this plan aims to improve the c onservation status and rec overy potential of the Golden Bell Frog. These aims are to be ac hieved by determining the distribution and habitat preferenc es of this frog in the River Murray c orridor in South Australia, so that these areas may be protec ted. Initiating researc h into threatening proc esses so that these threats may be better managed ; identifying the role that managed wetlands c an play in the c onservation of Golden Bell Frogs. And involving the broader community in Golden Bell Frog Conservation. In addition to other frog spec ies, wetlands provide valuable habitat for a wide range of nationally listed and state listed fauna and flora. In rec ent surveys of four wetlands in the Murraylands region in whic h Golden Bell Frogs were rec orded , one nationally listed bird spec ies and 17 state listed bird spec ies were rec orded. In addition the state listed Broad- shelled Tortoise Chelodina expansa has been rec orded in temporary wetlands where Golden Bell Frogs have been recorded breeding. The protec tion of Golden Bell Frog habitat, inc luding temporary and permanent wetlands, will have benefits for a wide range of other important flora and fauna species. The wetland areas where this frog has been rec orded provide important breeding areas for native fish, breeding areas and refuge for notable water birds and provide areas for the regeneration of key floodplain plant species. Recovery Plan for the Golden Bell Frog in the SA River Murray Corridor i Table of Contents 1.0. Introduction..............................................................................................................................3 1.1 Conservation status ..................................................................................................................3 1.2 Reasons for decline ..................................................................................................................3 1.3 Recovery actions to date........................................................................................................3 2.0. Ecology and Biology ...............................................................................................................4 2.1 Taxonomy...................................................................................................................................4 2.2 Description .................................................................................................................................4 2.3 Distribution..................................................................................................................................4 2.4 Population estimates................................................................................................................5 2.5 Habitat requirements ...............................................................................................................7 2.6 Critical habitat...........................................................................................................................8 2.7 Movements and home range ................................................................................................8 2.8 Diet and foraging behaviour ..................................................................................................8 2.9 Social organisation and reproduction ..................................................................................8 3.0. Threats to species persistence or recovery ..........................................................................9 3.1 River Regulation and Habitat Fragmentation......................................................................9 3.2 Drought.......................................................................................................................................9 3.3 Eastern Gambusia ....................................................................................................................9 3.4 Disease: Chytridiomycosis .....................................................................................................10 3.5 Toxins .........................................................................................................................................10 3.6 Grazing and other habitat degradation ............................................................................11 3.7 Climate Change .....................................................................................................................11 3.8 Knowledge Gaps....................................................................................................................11 4.0. Recovery Objectives.............................................................................................................12 4.1 Broad Goal...............................................................................................................................12 4.2 Specific objectives..................................................................................................................12 5.0. Recovery Criteria and Actions .............................................................................................13 6.0. Implementation Schedule ....................................................................................................16 7.0. Biodiversity Benefits...............................................................................................................20 8.0. Relevant Legislation ..............................................................................................................22 9.0. References .............................................................................................................................23 List of Figures Figure 2.1 The current distribution of the Golden Bell Frog in the South Australian River Murray c orridor ................................................................................................................................6 Figure 2.2 Number of sites along the South Australian River Murray c orridor in whic h the Golden Bell Frog was rec orded in 10 EPA Frog Censuses between 1995 and 2004 . ................................................................................................................................................7 List of Tables Table 6.1: Implementation and c osting sc hedule for the Golden Bell Frog Rec overy Plan.................................................................................................................................................17