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Booroolong Frog (Rhyaconastes booroolongensis)

The Booroolong Frog is an endangered Australian tree frog restricted to rocky sections of permanent streams in New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria. Development and infrastructure works can harm the species by removing riparian vegetation, disturbing cobble banks, filling egg-laying crevices with sediment, changing stream flows and spreading chytrid fungus.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Breeding season

Booroolong Frogs call and breed mainly from spring to early summer, with eggs and tadpoles in rocky stream pools and slow-flowing sections. Avoid clearing, draining or dewatering near permanent streams from late winter through autumn, with the highest risk during spring and early summer.

Reproductive mode: Egg laying.

Clutch size: 688 to 1,784 eggs, with an average of about 1,300 eggs.

Incubation: About 7 to 8 days to hatching.

Size at hatching or birth: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Males mature in about 1 to 2 years and females in about 2 to 3 years, depending on population and altitude.

Nest or egg sites: One or two rigid gelatinous clumps are attached in submerged rock crevices in shallow, slow-flowing stream sections or isolated rock pools along stream margins.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Confirm timing at the project site because rainfall, stream temperature, elevation and local flow conditions can shift calling, egg laying, tadpole development and metamorph emergence.

  • Calling: Males call from exposed rocks, cobble banks and shallow rocky sections beside or within permanent streams. Calling is documented from August to February, with the main breeding call period from October to early January and peak calling reported from September to January.
  • Egg laying: Egg laying is documented from October to early January, during spring and early summer. Eggs are placed in submerged rock crevices in shallow, slow-flowing sections or isolated streamside rock pools.
  • Tadpoles: Tadpoles are present after hatching and develop in slow-flowing stream sections, pools, rocks and detritus. Development takes about 2 to 4 months, or about 75 days in captivity, so tadpoles may remain in the water from November into April, depending on local conditions.
  • Metamorphs: Metamorphosis occurs in late summer to early autumn, after tadpole development of about 2 to 4 months. Metamorphs have been surveyed within six weeks after the breeding season, so emergence may extend from January to April.
  • Active period: No separate annual activity period is recorded. Frogs are mainly nocturnal, move less than 50 m within a season, and move between daytime shelters and calling sites during breeding; summer activity includes basking on exposed rocks near flowing water.
  • Winter inactivity: During winter, juveniles and adults shelter together under rocks in the riparian zone. The species is not described as hibernating or brumating, so winter sheltering should not be treated as complete inactivity.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from August to April because adults may be moving to calling sites, eggs and tadpoles may occupy rock crevices and pools, and metamorphs may be using streamside shelter. Risk peaks from September to December during calling and egg laying, and remains high through summer while tadpoles develop.

Identification

The Booroolong Frog is a medium-sized, stream-associated tree frog. Identification is most reliable where the adult appearance, fully webbed toes, rocky stream habitat and soft call occur together.

Adults are usually grey, olive or brown above, with indistinct black reticulations or markings and sometimes salmon-coloured flecks. The belly is white or cream. The back may be smooth or have scattered low tubercles, and the skin can appear slightly warty.

The head is slightly broader than long, with a rounded snout, prominent golden eyes and a thin black stripe running from the snout through the eye and around the tympanum to the shoulder. Finger discs and toe discs are well developed. Fingers are not webbed, while the toes are nearly fully webbed, with webbing reaching the disc of the fifth toe.

Adult length: Females up to 55 mm snout to vent length; males up to 40 mm.

Tadpole size: Up to 50 mm total length before metamorphosis.

Identification: Call and sex differences

The male breeding call is a soft purring sound, variously rendered as ‘qrk, qrk, qrk’ or ‘craww, craww, craww’. It lasts about 2 to 3 seconds. Males lack a distinct vocal sac and may have small dark flecks on the throat.

Females are larger than males. Sex cannot be confirmed reliably from size alone outside the breeding period, so handling should be avoided unless required for an approved survey or animal welfare response.

Identification: Field signs and similar frogs

Adults are usually found on or beside cobble banks, exposed rocks and shallow flowing water. They may bask on exposed rocks during summer, or shelter under rocks, logs and ground-level riparian vegetation. These habitat associations are useful supporting evidence during a fauna inspection, but they do not replace identification by an experienced observer or call recorder.

The tadpole is streamlined and flattened, with a rusty-brown body and tail, a dark band across the lower back, golden sheen below and a thick tail muscle that tapers to a narrow point. The dorsal fin arches gradually to the middle of the tail and then tapers to a rounded tip.

The supplied documents do not provide a named comparison with particular similar species. Avoid relying on colour alone. Confirm the combination of stream habitat, toe webbing, toe discs, body markings, call and, where necessary, expert review of photographs or recordings.

Distribution: National range

The species is endemic to south-eastern Australia. Its current distribution is fragmented, with most remaining records in New South Wales and a smaller population in north-eastern Victoria.

The Booroolong Frog occurs in New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria. It is associated mainly with western-flowing streams and headwaters of the Great Dividing Range, at elevations from about 200 to 1,300 m.

NSW indicative records and predictions include the Nandewar, New England Tablelands, NSW North Coast, NSW South Western Slopes, South Eastern Highlands, South Eastern Queensland and Sydney Basin regions. The supplied distribution table also identifies Victoria as a known range area.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The species has been grouped into Northern, Central and Southern Tablelands regions. The majority of known subpopulations are in the Southern Tablelands, particularly the Murrumbidgee and Murray catchments.

The 2012 recovery plan identified 28 subpopulations along 55 streams in seven catchments: Namoi, Hunter, Manning, Central West, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee and Murray. The conservation assessment later grouped records into five broad locations: Glenn Innes, the Namoi, Hunter and Manning catchments, the Central West and Lachlan catchments, the Murrumbidgee catchment, and the Murray catchment.

Distribution: Population trend

The species has disappeared from more than half of its former known range and is now absent from many high-elevation streams, apart from a small subpopulation near Glenn Innes. Remaining subpopulations are generally isolated and occur at low abundance.

The Northern Tablelands has experienced particularly severe declines. Recent drought surveys found some streams dry or more than 90 percent dry, with some northern subpopulations close to local extinction. The species also declined markedly during the chytrid-associated losses of the 1980s and 1990s.

Known or predicted area of occupancy: The 2021 conservation advice estimated a plausible area of occupancy of 368 to 708 km². A precautionary value below 500 km² supported the Endangered listing.

Recovery plan records: 28 subpopulations along 55 streams, based on the 2012 recovery plan.

Generation length: Estimated at 3 years.

Known locations used in assessment: Five broad locations were identified for the Endangered assessment.

Habitat: Stream habitat

The Booroolong Frog lives along rocky sections of permanent streams. It can occur in forest, woodland and cleared grazing country, but it depends on suitable stream structure, permanent running water and nearby riparian cover.

Preferred sites are shallow headwater streams with gravel and rock rapids, riffles and pools. Most records are from water about 10 to 20 cm deep, with exposed rock islands and rocks ranging from softball to football size.

The species is positively associated with abundant aquatic rock crevices. It uses shallow, slow-flowing sections and isolated pools connected to the stream, especially where submerged rocks provide shelter and breeding sites.

Stream permanence: Permanent running water is required. The species does not occupy ephemeral streams or streams that have dried during severe drought.

Typical water depth: Most records are from shallow sections about 10 to 20 cm deep.

Elevation: Records span about 200 to 1,300 m, with a strong preference for headwater streams from about 350 to 700 m.

Habitat: Riparian setting

The species can occur beside streams through wet and dry forest, woodland, cleared pasture and grassland. Fringing vegetation may include ferns, sedges and grasses.

Sites with high sunlight exposure and few riparian trees are often favoured, probably because exposed rocks provide basking areas. This does not justify removing riparian vegetation, because streamside cover also provides shelter and protects banks and water quality.

  • Retain native vegetation along stream margins and protect the bank from trampling and machinery access.
  • Maintain natural riffles, pools, cobble banks, exposed rock islands and submerged crevices.
  • Prevent sediment, concrete washout, hydrocarbons, herbicides and pesticides from entering the stream.

Foraging habitat: Tadpole feeding

The supplied documents provide limited information on adult feeding. They describe tadpoles as benthic grazers in flowing streams and pools, and show that the species remains close to its stream habitat.

Tadpoles feed as generalist benthic grazers on algae and other organic detritus. They are strong swimmers and can tolerate relatively fast-flowing water.

Feeding habitat includes shallow stream sections, slow-flowing connected areas and isolated pools within the stream margin. Water quality may vary near agricultural land, although the long-term viability of populations exposed to runoff is uncertain.

Tadpole diet: Algae and other organic detritus.

Feeding position: On the stream bottom and associated substrates.

Foraging habitat: Adult foraging area

No adult prey list is provided in the supplied documents. Adults are relatively sedentary and do not normally travel away from streams into the adjoining area outside the breeding season.

Most individuals move less than 50 m within a season, although movements of up to 250 m have been recorded. Protecting the stream edge and adjacent ground cover is therefore more relevant than assuming use of a broad terrestrial foraging area.

Typical seasonal movement: Less than 50 m for most individuals.

Maximum recorded movement: Up to 250 m.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs in permanent streams during spring and early summer. The species needs shallow, slow-flowing water, submerged rocky crevices and nearby exposed rocks or cobble banks.

Males call and mate from cobble banks and exposed rocks in or beside flowing water. Females lay eggs in submerged rock crevices, usually in shallow, slow-flowing sections or isolated rock pools along the stream margin.

Embryos hatch after about 7 to 8 days. Metamorphosis occurs in late summer to early autumn, with captive development recorded at about 75 days. Tadpoles develop in slow-flowing connected pools or isolated pools within the stream.

Breeding season: October to early January, broadly mid spring to mid summer.

Clutch size: About 688 to 1,784 eggs, usually around 1,300.

Egg deposition: One or two rigid gelatinous clumps attached in submerged rock crevices.

Embryo development: About 7 to 8 days to hatching.

Metamorphosis: About 75 days in captivity, with metamorphosis in late summer to early autumn in the field.

Age at maturity: Females take about 2 to 3 years to reach maturity.

Maximum age: About 4 years.

Breeding habitat: Requirements for project sites

Breeding sites are easily damaged by sedimentation, bank erosion, channel modification, stock access, weed encroachment and altered flows. Sediment can fill the crevices used for egg deposition and reduce available tadpole habitat.

Before clearing or in-stream works, inspect shallow riffles, pools, cobble banks, exposed rocks and rock crevices. Treat these features as potential breeding habitat even when adults are not detected.

  • Keep machinery, spoil, access tracks and temporary crossings out of the stream channel and riparian margin where practicable.
  • Use erosion and sediment controls that remain effective during rainfall and high flows.
  • Do not dam, divert or rapidly release water through occupied breeding habitat without species-specific assessment and approval.

Sheltering habitat: Day and summer refuges

Booroolong Frogs shelter close to the stream, using rocks, logs, crevices and low riparian vegetation. They may bask on exposed rocks during warm periods but require nearby cover for retreat.

During summer, frogs shelter in crevices under rocks and logs, within grass in the riparian zone and among low vegetation near the stream edge. They may bask on exposed rocks beside flowing water and can also occur uphill from rivers in exposed rocky sections.

During the breeding season, frogs often return to the same daytime sheltering sites after calling and mating.

  • Retain loose cobbles, larger rocks, logs, grass tussocks and low native vegetation along the stream edge.
  • Do not remove or stack stream rocks, fill crevices or clear ground cover around occupied riffles and pools.
  • Prevent stock and machinery from collapsing banks or compacting shelter sites.

Sheltering habitat: Winter refuges

Juveniles and adults shelter together under rocks within the riparian zone during winter. Because individuals are relatively sedentary, removing a small number of refuge sites can affect frogs that cannot readily relocate to another stream section.

Known refuge locations: Under rocks and logs, in rock crevices, within grass and other low riparian vegetation.

Movement constraint: The species generally remains close to permanent streams and most individuals move less than 50 m within a season.

Threats: Clearing and stream disturbance

The main risks on development and infrastructure sites are loss or disturbance of rocky stream habitat, sedimentation, riparian clearing, changed flows, introduced fish and chytrid fungus. Many risks can occur upstream or downstream of the work area.

Modification of stream channels, removal of cobble banks and loss of rocky crevices directly reduce breeding and shelter habitat. Clearing native riparian vegetation can increase bank erosion, sedimentation, weed invasion and exposure to stock.

Soil erosion from agriculture, mining, forestry, urban development and road construction can blanket streambeds and fill the crevices used by eggs and frogs. Construction access, temporary crossings, trenching and spoil placement can create the same risk if they disturb banks or enter the channel.

  • Keep the natural channel, riffles, pools, cobble banks and rock crevices intact.
  • Fence or otherwise exclude machinery, vehicles and stock from occupied stream margins.
  • Place spoil, sediment traps and construction compounds outside drainage lines and riparian habitat.
  • Revegetate disturbed banks with appropriate native riparian species and control willows and blackberry.

Threats: Hydrology, water quality and fire

Water extraction, dams and other regulation can reduce flows and increase the likelihood of stream drying. Sudden dam releases can flush eggs and tadpoles downstream. Cold water releases can also alter tadpole development, prey availability, introduced fish pressure and chytrid conditions.

Drought is a major risk because the species depends on permanent running water. Fire can affect breeding habitat indirectly through increased water temperature, altered water chemistry and post-fire ash and sediment runoff. Sediment slugs can fill crevices and affect waterways well downstream of a burnt area.

Sedimentation, herbicides, pesticides and other changes in water quality can reduce habitat quality even where adult frogs remain present.

  • Maintain adequate environmental flows through occupied stream sections.
  • Prevent dirty water, chemical runoff and fire-related sediment from entering the channel.
  • Inspect downstream reaches after intense fire, flood or major earthworks because impacts can extend beyond the work footprint.

Threats: Disease, introduced fish and other animals

Chytridiomycosis, caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, is associated with major historical declines and the loss of many high-elevation populations. Adults and juveniles may be particularly affected after metamorphosis.

Introduced brown trout, rainbow trout, European carp, goldfish, redfin perch and mosquito fish occur in many occupied streams. These fish eat eggs and tadpoles, especially in shallow, relatively slow-flowing water. Willows and blackberry can smother rocky habitat, alter flows, increase shade and reduce stream temperatures.

Domestic stock can erode stream banks and increase sedimentation. Feral pigs damage habitat and erode stream margins. Feral cat predation is suspected, but its effect on this species is not well quantified.

  • Apply approved amphibian hygiene procedures between sites, equipment and waterbodies.
  • Do not move water, mud, rocks, fish or aquatic equipment between catchments without appropriate decontamination and approvals.
  • Control invasive riparian weeds without disturbing egg crevices, shelter rocks or water quality.
  • Manage stock access and feral animal activity around occupied stream margins.

Survey methodology: 1. Nocturnal call and spotlight surveys

Survey the Booroolong Frog where works may affect permanent rocky streams, shallow pools, cobble banks or streamside vegetation. The supplied documents do not provide a prescribed survey guideline with fixed nights, hours, transect lengths or trap effort, so the project ecologist should set effort to the likely impact area, habitat quality and survey objectives, and document the rationale.

Survey permanent streams and their margins during the breeding period, from October to early January, with emphasis on mid spring to mid summer conditions.

Walk or slowly inspect both banks, shallow pools, cobble banks, exposed rocks and nearby riparian vegetation after dark. Listen for the soft, repeated ‘craww craww craww’ call, then visually confirm frogs where practicable.

Give priority to shallow stream sections about 10 to 20 cm deep, rocky rapids, riffles, pools and areas with submerged rock crevices. Adults shelter under rocks, logs and riparian vegetation and may bask on exposed rocks during summer.

Record weather, recent rainfall, stream flow, water depth, water temperature if measured, survey start and finish times, observer names, route, effort and all detections.

Survey methodology: 2. Daytime habitat and refuge searches

Inspect the full proposed disturbance area and an appropriate adjoining stream reach during daylight before works begin.

Search the stream margin and shallow water for adults, eggs and tadpoles, focusing on cobble banks, exposed rocks, submerged rock crevices, isolated rock pools, slow-flowing sections and vegetation close to the ground.

Do not casually move rocks or disturb egg clumps during a habitat search. If a search requires handling or moving material, use an approved fauna management procedure and an authorised person.

Survey methodology: 3. Tadpole, egg and habitat assessment

Inspect suitable breeding crevices and slow-flowing or isolated pools for rigid gelatinous egg clumps and tadpoles during the October to early January breeding period and through late summer to early autumn metamorphosis.

Map the length and condition of occupied or potentially occupied stream habitat, including rock cover, cobble banks, riparian vegetation, sediment deposits, weed cover, stock access, introduced fish presence and signs of drying.

Assess upstream and downstream connectivity because the species is sedentary, most movements are less than 50 m within a season, and the maximum recorded movement is 250 m.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a qualified ecologist to set and justify the number of survey nights, survey hours, stream length, observers and repeat visits because the supplied documents do not specify a standard effort.
  • Repeat surveys where initial conditions are unsuitable, including when the stream is dry, access is unsafe, weather limits calling activity or recent disturbance may reduce detection.
  • Include negative results with the exact area searched, habitat inspected, conditions, effort and limitations.
  • Submit confirmed records, including photographs or sound recordings where available, to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and report any EPBC Act matter to the project approval holder or regulator.
  • Check the current accepted scientific name before lodging records. The supplied conservation sources use Litoria booroolongensis.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Treat permanent rocky streams and their immediate margins as potential Booroolong Frog habitat, even where the stream passes through cleared pasture, grassland, woodland or forest. Avoid direct disturbance to breeding crevices, cobble banks, stream flow and riparian cover.

  • Redesign the work to retain permanent stream sections, shallow rocky habitat, cobble banks, submerged rock crevices, isolated breeding pools and native streamside vegetation.
  • Avoid placing plant, spoil, access tracks, stock routes or storage areas on stream margins or within rocky breeding habitat.
  • Maintain natural channel shape and flow, and prevent works from filling crevices or increasing sediment loads.
  • Retain connectivity along the stream and between occupied stream sections because subpopulations are isolated and the species has limited movement away from streams.
  • Remove or control willows, blackberry and other woody weeds where this can be done without damaging occupied rocks, eggs, tadpoles or stream banks.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

  • Check whether the proposed action is likely to significantly affect this EPBC Act Endangered species or its habitat, and obtain advice on referral and approval requirements before work starts.
  • Obtain all required state or territory threatened species, wildlife handling, clearing, waterway and rehabilitation approvals.
  • Schedule in-stream and bank works outside the October to early January breeding period where practicable, and avoid periods when eggs, tadpoles or metamorphs are present.
  • Stage works so that suitable stream refuges and an undisturbed route along the waterway remain available throughout the project.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat, survey methods, authorised handlers, exclusion areas, stop-work triggers, rescue arrangements, hygiene controls and reporting requirements.

Before habitat disturbance: Prepare the site

  • Complete the pre-clearance survey before machinery enters the stream or riparian zone, using the methods and habitat checks described above.
  • Mark no-go areas around permanent water, rocky breeding habitat, cobble banks, submerged crevices, native riparian vegetation and occupied refuges.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can keep machinery, workers, stock, sediment and spoil out without blocking frog movement along retained stream habitat.
  • Set up sediment and erosion controls before earthworks, and inspect them after rain and during high flows.
  • Use frog hygiene procedures between waterways and equipment to reduce the risk of spreading chytrid fungus.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

The fauna spotter catcher should control the interface between machinery and the stream, while the supervisor maintains exclusion areas and sediment controls. Work should stop when the approved controls cannot protect frogs, eggs, tadpoles or breeding habitat.

  • Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering mapped habitat, exclusion zones, current stream conditions, the approved work sequence and the stop-work procedure.
  • Inspect fencing, sediment controls, access routes, stream crossings and retained habitat before work each day and after significant rainfall.
  • Keep machinery, spoil, fuels, concrete washout and chemicals away from the stream and prevent sediment, herbicide and pesticide entry.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher to inspect the work area immediately before each disturbance step and to direct machinery through approved access routes.
  • Use low-impact, staged removal near the stream, with machinery stopping whenever the spotter catcher requires inspection or animal capture.

During habitat disturbance: Handling habitat features

  • Do not remove, crush or cover cobble banks, exposed rocks, submerged crevices, shallow pools or streamside refuge vegetation unless the action is approved and the habitat has been checked.
  • Treat rocks, logs and dense ground vegetation beside the stream as potential frog shelter and inspect them before disturbance.
  • Do not drain, divert, dam or rapidly alter stream flow without approval and a fauna management procedure, because eggs and tadpoles may be flushed downstream or exposed by drying.
  • Use clean equipment and avoid moving aquatic material between waterways to reduce disease and pest transfer.
  • If eggs or tadpoles are found, stop the relevant task and obtain direction from the project ecologist or wildlife authority before moving them.

During habitat disturbance: Animal finds and stop-work triggers

  • Stop work in the immediate area if a Booroolong Frog, egg clump, tadpole aggregation or newly metamorphosed frog is found in the disturbance footprint.
  • Allow only trained and authorised personnel to handle frogs, and follow the approved state or territory wildlife permit and hygiene procedure.
  • Keep handling to the minimum needed for safety, identification and an approved relocation or rescue action.
  • Relocate an animal only under the fauna management plan, to nearby retained habitat with suitable permanent water, rocky shelter and riparian cover, and only under ecologist or regulator direction.
  • Place injured animals in a clean, secure, appropriately moist container and arrange prompt assessment by a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer.
  • Escalate immediately if a frog is found outside the approved search area, if the species cannot be confidently identified, if stream flow changes unexpectedly, or if sediment enters the waterway.

During habitat disturbance: Records and incident reporting

  • Record every detection, capture, relocation, injury, mortality, egg or tadpole find, stop-work event and release location.
  • Record date, time, GPS location, habitat, stream condition, weather, photographs, handler, action taken and final outcome.
  • Notify the project ecologist, environmental officer and approval holder on the same day for any injury, mortality, unapproved habitat disturbance, disease concern or failed control.
  • Submit confirmed records and reportable incidents to the relevant state or territory authority and address any EPBC Act reporting condition.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-work checks should confirm that no frogs or breeding habitat were left within the disturbed area and that the stream remains suitable for breeding. Monitoring should focus on flow, rocky habitat, sediment, weeds and recolonisation.

  • Complete a fauna spotter catcher inspection of the work area, stream margin, retained rocks, logs, vegetation and temporary access routes after disturbance ends.
  • Check downstream areas for displaced rocks, sediment deposits, damaged crevices, stranded tadpoles, egg clumps, injured frogs and dead frogs.
  • Remove temporary materials, spoil and waste from the stream margin and reinstate any approved exclusion fencing or access controls.
  • Confirm that permanent flow, shallow pools, cobble banks, rock crevices and native riparian cover remain available.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and maintenance

  • Monitor retained and rehabilitated stream sections during the October to early January breeding period and after major rainfall or drought conditions.
  • Repeat nocturnal call and visual surveys using the same routes, effort and recording methods so changes in detections can be compared.
  • Inspect for sedimentation, bank erosion, stock access, weed encroachment, introduced fish, altered flow and water-quality impacts.
  • Repair failed erosion, sediment, fencing and weed controls promptly, and maintain them until the approval conditions and rehabilitation criteria are met.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and offsets

  • Provide the approval holder and relevant regulator with survey results, effort, maps, photographs, incidents, mitigation performance and monitoring results.
  • Report any continuing decline in habitat quality, stream drying, disease event or unexpected mortality through the project approval and wildlife reporting channels.
  • Apply any approved offset or compensatory conservation measure only in accordance with the EPBC Act decision, state requirements and the approved management plan.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore stream and riparian habitat

Rehabilitation should recreate the stream features used for shelter and breeding, not just establish vegetation. Give priority to permanent flow, clean rocky substrates, submerged crevices, shallow pools and a functioning riparian margin.

  • Reinstate natural channel form, shallow flowing sections, riffles, pools, cobble banks and exposed rocks where works have altered them.
  • Place stable rocks and cobbles to recreate submerged crevices and shallow breeding areas, using a design approved by the project ecologist and waterway authority.
  • Replant locally appropriate native streamside species, including the ferns, sedges and grasses that provide fringing cover identified for this species.
  • Protect revegetated banks from stock and machinery until plants are established and erosion risk is controlled.
  • Do not create isolated ponds or ephemeral wet areas as a substitute for the permanent running water required by the species.

Rehabilitation actions: Control weeds, sediment and predators

  • Control willows, blackberry and other weeds that smother rocks, shade basking areas or alter stream flow, using methods that prevent chemical entry into the waterway.
  • Maintain erosion and sediment controls until banks are stable and rock crevices are not being filled by sediment.
  • Exclude domestic stock from rehabilitated stream margins and manage feral pig activity where it damages banks or riparian habitat.
  • Do not stock introduced fish in occupied or restored streams, and work with fisheries authorities to reduce introduced fish where approved.
  • Use fire planning that limits severe fire impacts on riparian habitat and prevents ash and sediment slugs entering streams after fire.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitor success

  • Set measurable completion criteria for permanent flow, stream-bank stability, native riparian cover, weed cover, sediment accumulation, rock-crevice availability and introduced fish presence.
  • Survey rehabilitated reaches for calling adults, adults, eggs and tadpoles during October to early January, and compare results with baseline surveys and nearby retained habitat.
  • Continue monitoring long enough to detect recruitment and persistence, because population abundance fluctuates between years and drought can rapidly reduce occupancy.
  • Record failures such as stream drying, disease, sedimentation, weed return or absence of breeding evidence, and adapt the rehabilitation plan with the approval holder and relevant authority.

Rehabilitation actions: Conservation breeding and reinforcement

  • Where approved conservation planning identifies local extinction risk, coordinate with the relevant recovery program, wildlife authority, Australian Museum or Taronga Zoo rather than undertaking an unapproved release.
  • Use captive breeding, insurance populations or releases only under an authorised species recovery program with disease, genetic and post-release monitoring controls.
  • Consider the species’ limited movement and isolation when selecting any reinforcement or reintroduction site, and confirm that permanent rocky stream habitat is suitable before release.

Sources