BAYSIDE BULLETIN (Australia) 07 November 05 Jump in and save frog land!
EnvironmentalistS and backyard gardeners need to look at land, not just water, if they want to boost Australia's declining frog population, according to a PhD researcher from the Queensland University of Technology.
Senior ecologist for Biodiversity Assessment and Management Pty Ltd at Cleveland, Jo Chambers has spent the past four years studying frogs in forests west of Brisbane and believes there are lessons to be learnt from them for everyone.
"There's a lot of concern about frog populations declining worldwide but most research has only looked at their aquatic habitats and things like pollution of waterways," she said.
"However most frogs spend the majority of their life cycle on land so I looked at their terrestrial environments."
Jo studied 17 different species of frog at the Barakula State Forest - a mostly untouched forest four hours west of Brisbane.
She found that the most popular frog habitats had lots of leaf litter for ground cover, logs to provide shelter, and lots of native shrubs for shelter, shade, and to cool the ground.
She said these were also the requirements for people who wanted to provide a home for frogs in urban areas.
"It's no good just putting in a pond if you are missing other key ecological requirements for frogs," she said.
Jo said councils and volunteers could help attract frogs by cleaning up creek banks.
"The banks are just so choked with weeds a frog can't move through them and get to and from the water," she said.
Jo said people in the suburbs could also help boost frog numbers.
"If you live within a few kilometres of a creek or wetland you can help attract frogs to your yard by putting in a pond and decent vegetation and logs.
"You also need to patrol for canetoads and keep them out because their eggs and tadpoles are toxic to some native frog tadpoles."
"In Australia, 45 threatened frog species are listed with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature - that's 21% of our frogs. And 14 of those 45 species are listed as critically endangered.
"Frogs are a very important part of the food web in a wetland or creek system. Their tadpoles and eggs provide food for aquatic organisms, and frogs are a food source for reptiles and birds. They also help control mosquito larvae and other insects."
Jo's PhD frog research thesis is the culmination of a 10-year journey of study and research which she hopes will inspire other mature-aged people.
"At the age of 40 I went back to high school to do Year 11 and 12," she said.
"It's never too late to fulfil your childhood dreams. Mine were to obtain a job working in the bush and gain the necessary knowledge to help me protect and better manage our environment and its inhabitants."
Jump in and save frog land!