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Cascade Tree Frog (Litoria pearsoniana)

The Cascade Tree Frog is a small, nocturnal stream-dwelling frog of rainforest gullies and adjacent wet sclerophyll forest in south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales. Works near flowing streams, wet gullies and connected ponds can affect adults, tadpoles and movement routes through clearing, sediment, noise, lighting and vehicle traffic. It is listed as Vulnerable in Queensland and is an EVNT species requiring careful survey, impact assessment and protection during works.

Conservation status

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The Cascade Tree Frog breeds from August to April, with breeding activity peaking from October to February. Activity is strongly linked to warm nights and rainfall, and timing may vary with local stream conditions and seasonal weather.

Breeding mode: Eggs are deposited in still, shallow pools beside or connected to streams. They are attached to rocks, debris or aquatic plants.

Clutch size: Several hundred eggs per clutch.

Incubation: Not recorded.

Larval development: Metamorphosis usually occurs within two and a half months.

Fledging or weaning: Not applicable to this frog.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Breeding and activity may start earlier or finish later in wet, warm years, while cold or dry conditions can reduce calling and breeding, with local variation between regions and streams.

  • Breeding and calling: Males call from low perches beside or within streams, mainly during warm nights and after rain.
  • Eggs and tadpoles: Eggs and developing tadpoles may be present during the August to April breeding season, with tadpoles using shallow, slowly moving water and backwaters.
  • Nocturnal adult activity: Adults are predominantly nocturnal and are most active on warm nights during and after rain.
  • Winter aggregations and sheltering: Mixed-sex aggregations may form in humid crevices during winter, and frogs shelter in moist gullies, rocks and thick vegetation.
  • Highest clearing risk: Avoid clearing or disturbing stream margins, shallow pools and associated moist forest during the breeding season, especially from October to February when eggs and dependent larvae are most likely to be present.

Identification: Appearance and size

The Cascade Tree Frog is a small tree frog that is most often detected at night, particularly on warm nights during or after rain. Handle all suspected frogs carefully and have uncertain identifications checked by an experienced frog ecologist.

Adults range from green to brownish. A gold stripe runs from the nose through the eye. The groin and backs of the thighs are dull red.

Males are 24 to 29 mm long and females are 31 to 37 mm long. Adults may reach about 40 mm.

Identification: Calls and similar species

The call is a rising, quivering, drawn-out “eeeeek”, followed by “chik, chik”. Calling activity is most likely on warm nights during and after rain.

The available field information does not give a diagnostic comparison with similar species. Record a clear call, photograph the frog where practical, and seek expert confirmation when identification is uncertain.

Identification: Tadpoles and field signs

Tadpoles are small and dark, with high tail fins. They are usually found at the sides of streams, in shallow water, slowly moving pools and backwaters.

Look for adults on low perches beside or within streams, among rocks, in thick vegetation and around moist gullies. Frogs, eggs and tadpoles can be difficult to detect during clearing, so absence during a daytime inspection should not be treated as evidence that the site is unused.

Useful observations: Record the location, date, time, weather, call, habitat, stream condition and whether the animal was an adult, juvenile or tadpole.

Distribution: Australian range

The Cascade Tree Frog is restricted to eastern Australia. It occurs in suitable forest streams across parts of Queensland and New South Wales, but populations can be scattered and local densities vary.

The species occurs in south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales. Its broader range extends from south of Gympie in Queensland to north of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

In south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales, records extend from Kandanga State Forest south to Gibraltar Range. The species has been recorded in the Conondale, D’Aguilar and Main Ranges.

Queensland: Records include the Conondale, D’Aguilar and Main Ranges, as well as an isolated population at Kroombit Tops.

New South Wales: The range extends through north-east New South Wales to the Gibraltar Range and north of the Hunter Valley.

Distribution: Local and population context

The Kroombit Tops population is genetically distinct and is recognised as an evolutionary significant unit. Treat records from this population with particular care during planning and construction.

The species has declined in parts of south-east Queensland, including D’Aguilar National Park and the Conondale Ranges. It can be common and readily detected at some suitable forest streams, but may occur at low density at other sites that appear suitable.

Distribution: Site screening

Give priority to sites containing or connected to:

  • Rainforest gullies and closed forest.
  • Wet sclerophyll forest beside streams.
  • Flowing streams, shallow pools, backwaters and associated ponds.
  • Forest linkages between aquatic breeding habitat and surrounding moist vegetation.

Habitat: Vegetation and landform

Look for the species in moist, shaded forest associated with permanent or semi-permanent flowing water. Habitat quality depends on both the stream and the surrounding terrestrial cover.

Suitable sites include shaded rainforest gullies, closed forest and adjacent wet sclerophyll forest. The species has been recorded at elevations from 200 to 1000 m in south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales.

Prioritise narrow gullies, rocky stream lines, damp slopes and forested drainage lines that retain shade and moist ground conditions.

Habitat: Stream features

The stream should hold water for long enough for tadpoles to develop. Examine the main channel as well as shallow margins, slowly moving pools and backwaters.

Streams crossed by roads or construction access tracks deserve particular attention, especially where riparian vegetation remains continuous on both sides.

Habitat: Habitat checks before works

During pre-clearing inspections, map the stream, adjacent moist vegetation, ponds, drainage connections and likely movement routes. Include habitat outside the immediate clearing footprint if frogs could move into the work area.

Retain shade, natural banks, riparian vegetation, coarse cover and natural overland water flow wherever practicable.

Foraging habitat: Foraging places

Adult Cascade Tree Frogs forage in moist forest around streams and gullies, mainly at night. Species-specific information on prey selection and foraging distances is limited, so maintain the wider habitat that supports invertebrates as well as the stream itself.

Search moist vegetation, rocks, stream margins and low perches beside flowing water. Adults may be active on warm nights during and after rain, and sometimes on warm overcast days.

Avoid assuming that frogs remain in the channel. Terrestrial vegetation and damp cover beside the stream can provide feeding and resting habitat.

Foraging habitat: Food and food resources

Adults eat moving prey. Recorded general frog prey includes ants, termites, spiders, beetles, bugs, grasshoppers and cockroaches, but the Cascade Tree Frog’s precise diet has not been studied in detail.

Tadpoles graze on bottom sediment. Prevent sediment, pollutants and altered flows from reducing the quality of shallow stream margins and pools.

Foraging habitat: Management on work sites

Keep vegetation clearing to the smallest practical footprint. Retain moist ground cover and connected riparian vegetation.

Limit night lighting, dust, chemical drift and unnecessary noise near streams and wet gullies. These measures also help maintain insect prey and reduce disturbance to calling and foraging frogs.

Breeding habitat: Calling and breeding sites

Breeding occurs in or beside streams, usually from August to April and most strongly from October to February. Eggs and tadpoles may be concentrated in small, shallow waterbodies that are easy to overlook during site works.

Males call from low perches up to 1 m above the water, beside or within the stream. During the day, calling males retreat to humid crevices.

Listen during warm nights, particularly during and after rain. Survey both the stream channel and the adjacent bank, rocks, vegetation and gullies.

Breeding season: August to April

Peak breeding period: October to February

Breeding habitat: Eggs and tadpoles

Eggs are deposited in still, shallow pools beside or connected to the main stream. They may be attached to rocks, debris or aquatic plants.

A clutch is a clump of several hundred eggs. Metamorphosis usually occurs within two and a half months.

Breeding habitat: Protection during construction

Treat streams, connected pools, backwaters and damp stream margins as potential breeding places during the breeding season. Keep sediment, concrete washout, fuel, chemicals and dirty water out of these areas.

Avoid diverting, infilling or isolating shallow pools. Maintain natural flow paths and continuous riparian cover, and schedule in-stream works to minimise the risk to eggs and tadpoles.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter features

Adults shelter in cool, humid places during the day and in dry or unsuitable weather. These places can be hidden within the clearing footprint and are easily disturbed by machinery, stockpiles and access tracks.

Look among rocks, thick vegetation, damp leaf litter and shaded stream banks. Humid crevices with relatively stable temperatures can be used during the day and in winter.

Males may retreat to humid crevices after calling. The species may form large, mixed-sex winter aggregations in these conditions.

Sheltering habitat: Features to retain

Retain:

  • Shaded gullies and dense ground vegetation.
  • Rocky banks, crevices and natural coarse cover.
  • Moist leaf litter and damp soil beside streams.
  • Continuous riparian vegetation between streams, pools and surrounding forest.

Sheltering habitat: Pre-clearing practice

Inspect likely shelter habitat before vegetation removal, particularly after rain and around streams. Use a trained fauna spotter catcher and keep machinery out of retained riparian and shelter areas.

Where a frog is found, stop work locally, protect the animal from heat, drying and crushing, and follow the approved capture, handling and relocation procedure. Do not move frogs across barriers or into unsuitable habitat without ecological and regulatory approval.

Threats: Clearing and direct mortality

Development can affect the Cascade Tree Frog through direct mortality, habitat loss and changes to stream conditions. Work controls should protect the stream, its margins and the connected terrestrial habitat used by adults.

Frogs are small, cryptic and difficult to detect during vegetation clearing. They can be crushed, buried or injured by clearing, grubbing, trenching, stockpiling and vehicle movements.

Minimise the clearing footprint, inspect before works, use staged clearing where appropriate and maintain exclusion areas around streams, pools, moist gullies and retained vegetation.

Threats: Roads, traffic and barriers

Vehicle strikes can increase near wetlands and streams, especially during wet weather. Roads and other infrastructure can also block movement between breeding water and terrestrial habitat.

Plan crossings to retain habitat connections. Bridge underpasses over waterways can be effective where natural stream banks and riparian vegetation remain continuous beneath the bridge. Use suitable culverts, frog fencing and safe fauna movement routes where required.

Threats: Water quality and hydrology

Sediment, erosion, altered drainage, pollutants, heavy metals, road dust, emissions and herbicides can degrade streams and tadpole habitat. Wetland drainage and changes to overland flow can remove or isolate breeding places.

Use erosion and sediment controls, protect natural drainage, prevent contaminated water entering streams and keep chemical use away from riparian areas. Inspect controls after rain and repair failures promptly.

Threats: Noise, light, weeds and disease

Traffic noise, vibration and artificial light can interfere with calling, breeding, feeding and predator avoidance. Riparian and aquatic weeds can smother habitat and reduce stream quality.

Limit unnecessary night lighting and noise near breeding habitat. Clean and disinfect relevant equipment between waterways, use hygiene procedures to reduce the risk of chytrid fungus, and manage weeds without allowing herbicides to enter streams.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Survey around shaded streams, rainforest gullies and adjoining wet sclerophyll forest. Focus on warm nights during or after rain, when Cascade Tree Frogs are most active and calling is easiest to detect.

Map flowing streams, shallow pools, backwaters, wet gullies, ponds and forest connections before entering the site.

Check records for the site and nearby catchments, including the Conondale, D’Aguilar and Main Ranges, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast hinterland, Kroombit Tops, and north eastern New South Wales.

Treat the genetically distinct Kroombit Tops population as a high conservation priority. Confirm the current boundary of the population before planning works.

  • Review Queensland’s current targeted survey guideline for the species before setting the survey design.
  • Check whether the proposal may affect a protected area, a listed population, a waterway, a breeding place or habitat connectivity.
  • Include likely construction effects such as clearing, sediment, altered drainage, lighting, noise, vibration and road mortality in the assessment.

Survey methodology: 2. Nocturnal call and visual survey

Survey at night using an aural and visual search. Listen for the rising, quivering, drawn-out call followed by short ‘chik, chik’ notes.

Give priority to warm nights during and after rain. Survey during the August to April breeding season, with particular attention from October to February.

Search beside streams, around shallow pools and backwaters, and in low vegetation, rocks, debris and humid crevices. Males may call from low perches up to 1 m above the water.

Use a 100 m transect where it suits the site and record the method and effort clearly. A 100 m aural and visual transect has been used in northern New South Wales surveys.

  • Move slowly and keep voices and lights low.
  • Pause at calling locations and check the adjacent bank, vegetation, rocks and water margin.
  • Use a red light where practical, while retaining enough light for safe identification and animal welfare.
  • Do not rely on a single visit where the habitat is suitable but no frogs are detected. Arrange additional suitable-weather visits in accordance with the current Queensland or New South Wales guideline.

Survey methodology: 3. Tadpole and habitat search

Search shallow stream margins, slowly moving pools and backwaters for dark tadpoles with high tail fins. Check bottom sediment and sheltered margins without disturbing the substrate unnecessarily.

Inspect still, shallow pools beside or connected to the main stream. Look for eggs attached to rocks, debris or aquatic plants.

Search humid crevices and dense vegetation during daytime checks, especially where winter aggregations may occur.

  • Record the stream condition, flow, pool depth and connection to the main channel.
  • Photograph eggs, tadpoles and frogs where this can be done without handling or disturbance.
  • Do not drain, stir or remove material from a potential breeding place merely to improve detection.

Survey methodology: 4. Records and reporting

Record the date, start and finish time, location, observer names, weather, recent rainfall, temperature if measured, wind, stream conditions and survey method.

Record every call, sighting, tadpole or egg observation with a location and confidence level. Map breeding pools, calling stations, shelter sites and movement routes.

Record the number and life stage of animals only where individuals can be counted reliably. Note whether frogs were in water, on the bank, in vegetation or in a crevice.

  • Submit records to the project ecologist and the relevant state database or authority where required.
  • Keep photographs, call recordings, field sheets and GPS files with the project environmental records.
  • Report a suspected Cascade Tree Frog promptly if identification is uncertain and works could affect the animal or its habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Approvals and permits

Plan the work around the species’ stream habitat and breeding places. Avoidance is the first control, followed by careful survey, approvals, exclusion and supervision.

Confirm the current conservation status and approval pathway before clearing. In Queensland, the Cascade Tree Frog is Vulnerable and is an EVNT species.

Assess whether the action requires an EPBC referral or approval. Do not assume that a state approval removes Commonwealth obligations.

Obtain required Queensland permits, authorities and approvals under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and related requirements.

Where work may tamper with a breeding place in Queensland, confirm whether a species management program is required and obtain approval before work starts.

Check New South Wales threatened species and clearing requirements for work in that state. Obtain any required fauna, scientific, clearing or park approvals.

  • Keep approval conditions, permit numbers and contact details in the site environmental control plan.
  • Stop planning if the proposed controls cannot meet an approval condition. Refer the issue to the project ecologist and regulator.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and site design

Keep flowing streams, rainforest gullies, wet sclerophyll forest, associated ponds and connected terrestrial habitat intact wherever practicable.

Retain natural stream banks and riparian vegetation. Avoid changing overland flow, draining pools, filling gullies or isolating stream sections.

Locate compounds, stockpiles, access tracks, lighting and noisy plant away from streams and likely breeding places.

Use bridges or other crossing designs that retain continuous stream banks and riparian habitat beneath the structure. Use culverts only where they maintain suitable wet connections and do not create barriers.

  • Mark exclusion areas on plans and on the ground before clearing.
  • Protect water quality with erosion, sediment and spill controls.
  • Design wildlife crossings and frog fencing where roads or construction areas could cause mortality or block movement.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance survey and timing

Complete the approved pre-clearance survey shortly before disturbance. Use nocturnal call and visual searches in suitable weather, and inspect likely breeding pools, stream margins, crevices and dense vegetation.

Schedule high-risk works outside the August to April breeding season where practicable. If this cannot be achieved, use additional ecological supervision and controls, particularly from October to February.

Treat winter humid crevices as potential aggregation sites. Do not seal, clear or disturb them until they have been assessed.

  • Survey all areas proposed for clearing, access, drainage, temporary fencing and sediment controls.
  • Repeat the inspection after rain or changed site conditions where the risk assessment identifies a higher likelihood of activity.
  • Document the clearance boundary, survey conditions, findings and decision to proceed.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Exclusion, induction and rescue readiness

Install frog fencing before clearing where animals could enter the work area or cross a road. Use small mesh, sufficient height, a climbing-resistant overhang and a design that can withstand periodic flooding.

Keep fencing continuous and inspect it after rain, flooding, earthworks and vehicle movements.

Induct all workers on the species’ appearance, call, habitat, exclusion areas, hygiene, stop-work rules and reporting process.

Nominate an appropriately authorised fauna spotter catcher or ecologist and give that person authority to stop work.

  • Provide clean, dedicated equipment for work between frog sites where practicable.
  • Keep containers, soft nets, gloves, headlamps and a suitable temporary holding facility ready before clearing begins.
  • Do not allow untrained workers to catch, move or release frogs.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Clear in stages and keep the fauna spotter catcher close to the active work front. Treat every stream, pool, crevice and damp patch as potential frog habitat until checked.

Clear from the least suitable habitat towards retained habitat, while keeping escape routes open to safe, connected areas.

Remove vegetation in stages rather than pushing all habitat at once. Pause between stages to allow animals to move away where this is safe and approved.

Keep machinery out of streams, shallow pools, stream banks and exclusion areas unless the approval specifically allows access.

  • Start each shift with a check of fencing, exclusion markers, weather, water levels and the work area.
  • Stop work during heavy rain, flooding or unsafe conditions if controls cannot remain effective.
  • Prevent sediment, concrete washout, fuel, chemicals and herbicides from entering streams or pools.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Animal handling and relocation

Only an authorised fauna spotter catcher or other person permitted under the approval may handle a Cascade Tree Frog.

Use clean, damp, powder-free gloves or a clean, soft net. Keep handling brief and protect the animal from heat, dehydration, chemicals, dust and direct sun.

Place any captured frog in a clean, ventilated, secure container with suitable damp material. Keep species and capture locations separate where disease risk requires it.

Release the frog only at an approved, nearby suitable location that retains stream, moisture and shelter conditions. Record the release location and time.

  • Never move a frog across a road, into a different catchment or into unsuitable habitat without approval and ecological direction.
  • Apply amphibian hygiene procedures between sites, streams, equipment and animals.
  • Do not handle eggs or tadpoles unless the approval and an experienced amphibian ecologist authorise the action.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Stop-work triggers

Stop work immediately if a Cascade Tree Frog, egg mass, tadpole concentration, active breeding pool, winter aggregation or previously unknown habitat is found in the impact area.

Stop work if an animal is trapped by fencing, machinery, an excavation, a trench, a stockpile or altered drainage.

Keep people and machinery clear. Maintain the exclusion area while the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist assess the find.

  • Reassess the work method, timing, buffer and permit conditions before restarting.
  • If an active breeding place may be affected, contact the approval holder and relevant authority and follow the approved species management program or other direction.
  • Do not fill, drain, cover, relocate or modify a breeding place without written approval where required.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Injury, illness and incident records

Place an injured frog in a clean, secure container away from noise, sun and chemicals. Do not apply creams, disinfectants, food or unapproved treatment.

Contact the nominated wildlife rehabilitator, veterinarian or project ecologist immediately and follow the project wildlife incident pathway.

Record the animal’s condition, location, suspected cause, photographs, handling time, treatment advice, transfer details and outcome.

  • Report mortality, disease signs, vehicle strikes, fence failures, sediment releases and unauthorised handling to the site supervisor and environmental representative.
  • Escalate any suspected chytrid fungus issue. Isolate equipment and follow the project amphibian disease protocol.
  • Record all stop-work events, captures, releases and approvals before the shift closes.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance inspection

Do not treat the end of clearing as the end of risk. Check the disturbed area, retained habitat and exclusion controls before releasing the work front.

Inspect the cleared area, retained vegetation, stream margins, pools, crevices, trenches, pits, drainage lines and fencing after each clearing stage.

Check for stranded, injured or trapped frogs, tadpoles and eggs. Pay particular attention after rain, flooding, vibration or movement of temporary barriers.

Confirm that no spoil, mulch, sediment, concrete, fuel or herbicide has entered a stream or potential breeding place.

  • Keep excavations covered, ramped or securely fenced when unattended.
  • Remove temporary hazards as soon as the work program allows.
  • Do not remove frog fencing until the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist confirm that it is no longer required.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Relocated animals and habitat checks

Confirm the condition and fate of every relocated animal through the project wildlife register.

Inspect approved release areas for shelter, moisture, stream connection, water quality and freedom from immediate construction hazards.

If released animals are repeatedly found at the work edge, review fencing, lighting, drainage, noise and the location of the release area.

  • Do not repeatedly recapture and move frogs without ecological review.
  • Record any evidence of return movement, mortality, breeding activity or use of restored habitat.
  • Maintain disease hygiene for every follow-up visit and between every stream or release site.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Monitoring and reporting

Complete post-construction monitoring where required by an approval, species management program, environmental management plan or risk assessment.

Use comparable nocturnal call and visual methods at suitable streams and pools so that results can be compared with pre-work observations.

Monitor water quality, stream flow, sediment, riparian vegetation, lighting, road mortality, fencing and crossing performance.

  • Report survey effort, detections, breeding activity, mortalities, incidents, control failures and corrective actions.
  • Submit statutory reports and fauna records within the required timeframe.
  • Retain maps, photographs, call recordings, field sheets, laboratory or veterinary records and approval correspondence.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Incident review

Review every mortality, injury, breeding-place impact, disease concern, fence failure and unauthorised disturbance with the site supervisor and project ecologist.

Identify the cause and change the work method before the next stage proceeds.

Notify the relevant authority where an approval condition or permit requires notification.

  • Update the site risk assessment and induction after each significant incident.
  • Record lessons for future work in the catchment.
  • Do not close the environmental incident until the corrective action has been checked in the field.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Stream and riparian restoration

Restore the stream system and the damp forest structure that Cascade Tree Frogs use for breeding, shelter and movement. Rehabilitation should improve natural habitat rather than create isolated artificial features.

Reinstate natural stream banks, shallow margins, slowly moving pools and backwaters where construction has altered them.

Reconnect streams with adjacent rainforest gullies, wet sclerophyll forest, ponds and moist terrestrial shelter.

Use local native species to restore shade, dense vegetation, leaf litter, rocks and stable humid crevices.

Prevent erosion and sediment movement during establishment and after intense rainfall.

  • Keep water flowing in the natural direction and maintain pools long enough for tadpole development.
  • Remove construction spoil, waste, temporary pipes and unused hardstand from habitat areas.
  • Protect restored areas from vehicles, stock, trampling, drainage changes and unnecessary mowing.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Breeding habitat and artificial structures

Prioritise natural still, shallow pools beside or connected to the stream. These are more suitable than generic artificial breeding structures where natural habitat can be retained.

Do not install nest boxes, bat boxes or generic artificial nest sites. They do not match the known breeding or shelter requirements of this frog.

Where a project requires replacement breeding habitat, have an amphibian ecologist design and approve shallow pools, stream margins, shelter crevices or other structures that reproduce local conditions.

Do not construct replacement habitat in a different catchment or where it could spread disease or create a new barrier.

  • Monitor water retention, flow, sediment, vegetation and use by frogs before accepting the replacement habitat.
  • Keep replacement pools free of pollutants, invasive fish and excessive weed growth.
  • Treat any egg mass, tadpole use or breeding activity as a protected ecological result and manage nearby works accordingly.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Weeds, water and chemicals

Control aquatic and riparian weeds without damaging stream banks, pools, shelter or eggs.

Use manual or targeted methods where practicable near breeding places. Prevent herbicide from entering water, damp crevices or adjacent vegetation.

Maintain clean water, natural drainage, shade and suitable moisture through dry periods where the project has altered runoff.

Inspect erosion and sediment controls after rain and repair them promptly.

  • Use clean equipment between waterways and known frog sites.
  • Do not release untreated water, washdown water, concrete water or contaminated runoff into frog habitat.
  • Remove weeds in stages so that frogs retain cover and movement routes.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Lighting, connectivity and long-term monitoring

Keep artificial light away from streams, pools and retained riparian vegetation. Use the lowest practical intensity, shield lights downwards and avoid lighting the water surface.

Retain continuous habitat beneath bridges and across the wider site. Use frog fencing and safe crossings where roads or construction areas interrupt movement.

Monitor restored and retained habitat through suitable warm, wet periods, including the August to April breeding season and the October to February peak.

  • Use consistent survey locations, methods, weather records and effort for each monitoring round.
  • Check for calling males, adults, tadpoles, eggs, road mortality, fence breaches, sediment, weeds and loss of stream flow.
  • Continue monitoring for the period required by approvals and extend it if the habitat has not stabilised or the species has not been detected where it was expected.
  • Review monitoring results with the project ecologist and adjust water, vegetation, lighting, fencing and weed controls.

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