Fauna Spotters logo

Martin's Toadlet (Uperoleia martini)

Martin’s toadlet is a small terrestrial frog of the Gippsland coast of Victoria and the far south-eastern coast of New South Wales. It breeds in moderately sized permanent or semi-permanent swamps and ponds, with surrounding woodland, scrub and other intact terrestrial habitat also needed. Clearing, hydrology change, fire, drought, disease and invasive animals can affect both breeding sites and the terrestrial habitat used away from water.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

Breeding season

Martin’s toadlet generally calls and breeds from spring to early summer, with timing triggered by significant rain and saturated ground. Tadpoles develop in still water before metamorphosis from late summer to autumn, so clearing near wetlands and surrounding terrestrial cover can cause harm across much of the year.

Reproductive mode: Egg laying. Females lay eggs singly.

Clutch size: Not recorded.

Incubation: About 8 days to hatching.

Size at hatching or birth: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Nest or egg sites: Eggs are attached to submerged grass stems or other submerged materials in ponds, swamps and flooded grassland.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Confirm timing locally before works, because rainfall, ground saturation, pond hydroperiod and temperature can shift calling, egg laying, tadpole development and metamorphosis.

  • Calling: Males call from spring into early summer and may also call in autumn. Monthly records show calling in January, February and September to December, with possible calling from March to May, but no peak month has been identified.
  • Egg laying: Breeding occurs in spring and early summer, usually during or after significant rain when the ground is saturated. Eggs are laid singly and attached to submerged grass stems or other materials.
  • Tadpoles: Tadpoles hatch about 8 days after laying and remain in still ponds and swamps, usually near the bottom among submerged leaf litter. This typical timing extends from spring breeding into late summer, but rainfall can shift the period.
  • Metamorphs: Metamorphosis has been observed from late summer to autumn. Juvenile emergence timing and post-metamorphic movement are not recorded, so February to May represents the best-supported typical period.
  • Active period: No fixed annual adult activity season is recorded. The species is typically active at night, calls from January to May and September to December, and may move or call after rain; individuals may shelter underground during unsuitable conditions.
  • Winter inactivity: A fixed winter dormancy period is not recorded. For project planning in the temperate southern range, June to August is a general period when activity may be reduced and frogs may shelter underground during unsuitable conditions, including drought.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is high throughout the year because terrestrial cover and wetland margins are used outside the calling season, and frogs may be underground. Risk is greatest during rain-triggered spring and early summer breeding, the tadpole period, and late summer to autumn metamorphosis, although no documented peak month is available.

Identification

Martin’s toadlet is a small, squat-looking frog with a broad head and short, rounded snout. It is called a toadlet because of its appearance, but it is not a true toad.

Males reach up to 34 mm snout-to-vent length. The eyes are golden and the tympanum is not visible. The back ranges from light grey-brown to dark grey, usually with darker patches and numerous yellow or red-tipped tubercles. Some tubercles form a row along the vertebrae.

A ridge of yellow or white tubercles extends from the corner of the mouth along the jaw. The upper forelimbs are yellow or red-brown. The groin and backs of the long hind thighs are yellow. The underside is smooth, dark brown and white-speckled. Breeding males have a darker throat.

  • Fingers are short and slightly fringed.
  • Toes are long, lack fringing and have no webbing between the digits.
  • Large metatarsal tubercles are present on both the fingers and toes.

Identification: Call and tadpoles

The male call is a single, drawn-out note lasting about one second and repeated every two to three seconds. Calling males may be at the base of emergent vegetation, in leaf litter at the water’s edge or in flooded grassland.

Tadpoles have a rounded snout and body, dorsolateral eyes, closely spaced large nares and a dark brown to black back with gold iridophores. The tail fins are moderately arched and have large black and gold spots.

Call interval: One call about every 2 to 3 seconds

Tadpole total length: Up to 41 mm

  • Use the repeated single-note call as a search cue during suitable spring and post-rain conditions.
  • Search carefully through submerged leaf litter because tadpoles are secretive and may be difficult to see.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

The provided sources do not give a diagnostic comparison with individual similar species. Tyler’s toadlet, Uperoleia tyleri, and Mahony’s toadlet, Uperoleia mahonyi, are noted as closely related species with similarly sized males, so small Uperoleia frogs should be identified by an experienced frog ecologist using the full combination of colour, tubercle pattern, digits, call and location.

No tracks, scats, nests, sloughs or eyeshine are expected field signs for this species. The most useful non-capture signs are the repeated male call, eggs attached singly to submerged vegetation or other materials, tadpoles, and the presence of frogs in or near suitable swamps and ponds.

  • Do not rely on body size alone when separating Martin’s toadlet from related Uperoleia species.
  • Record the call, habitat, location and photographs of dorsal, ventral and thigh markings where handling is authorised.

Distribution: States and bioregions

Martin’s toadlet has a narrow coastal distribution in south-eastern Australia. It is known from Victoria and New South Wales, with most records concentrated along the Gippsland coast and the Victorian and New South Wales border.

In Victoria, the species occurs mainly along the Gippsland coast, extending from near Yarram eastwards. In New South Wales, the range crosses the border to Nadgee Nature Reserve and the Nadgee area.

The NSW assessment places the range across the South East Coastal Plain IBRA Bioregion and the South East Corner IBRA Bioregion. The South East Coastal Plain is heavily modified by agriculture and forestry, while the South East Corner is more heavily forested and includes protected areas.

  • Victoria: Gippsland coast, including the Gippsland Lakes and Croajingolong region.
  • New South Wales: the far south coast near Nadgee.
  • Recorded range: about 320 km along the coast and up to 36 km inland.

Distribution: Known strongholds

Presumed extant subpopulations recorded within the past 10 years include Holey Plains State Park, the Gippsland Lakes at Dutson Downs, Cape Conran Coastal Park, the Cann River area, and Croajingolong National Park at Wingan Swamp and Howe Flat.

The range includes sites within the Ramsar-listed Gippsland Lakes and Croajingolong National Park. All populations are considered important for long-term survival and recovery because population boundaries and genetic relationships are not well resolved.

Distribution: Population size and trend

The number of mature individuals has not been estimated. The species has undergone severe declines and is inferred to be continuing to decline in abundance, distribution and habitat quality.

The NSW assessment inferred a reduction of more than 50 per cent over the past three generations, defined there as 13 years. Victorian population analysis cited in that assessment suspected a 50 to 85 per cent decline over 2006 to 2021, mainly associated with drought and habitat loss after the 2019 to 2020 fires.

Estimated area of occupancy: 180 km2, based on 2 by 2 km grid cells

Estimated extent of occurrence: 11,656 km2

Threat-defined locations: No more than 5

Population size: Number of mature individuals unknown

Inferred reduction over 3 generations: More than 50 per cent, with 3 generations assessed as 13 years

Habitat: Wetland and surrounding vegetation

Martin’s toadlet primarily uses moderately sized permanent or semi-permanent swamps and ponds, together with intact terrestrial habitat around those waterbodies. It is rarely recorded in disturbed or cleared areas.

The species has been recorded around swamps, ponds, dams and flooded grassland. Surveys indicate that it tends to be absent from both small ephemeral pools and large waterbodies, with moderately sized waterbodies more likely to support it.

Recorded vegetation communities include dry sclerophyll forest, woodland, shrubland, grassland, coastal heath, sedgeland and Melaleuca thickets. Sites are often surrounded by woodland or coastal scrub.

  • Retain waterbodies and their surrounding native vegetation.
  • Retain emergent vegetation, sedgeland, leaf litter and other cover around wetland margins.
  • Treat apparently suitable terrestrial habitat away from the water as part of the habitat used by the species.

Habitat: Structure and condition

Martin’s toadlet is rarely recorded in cleared or disturbed areas. When it is recorded in cleared areas, the site is usually close to intact woodland, although calling males have also been reported from paddocks some distance from intact native vegetation.

The surrounding terrestrial area is particularly important for females, which generally spend more time away from water than breeding males. Clearing, logging, roads and heavy machinery can remove habitat, compact soil, increase sediment loads and interrupt movement between breeding and non-breeding areas.

Indicative terrestrial protection distance: A mean minimum distance of 200 m from waterbodies is identified as a general wetland frog reference, pending species-specific research.

  • Keep intact native vegetation between breeding waterbodies and nearby terrestrial habitat.
  • Avoid clearing or soil disturbance at the edge of swamps, ponds and flooded depressions.
  • Maintain movement connections between occupied or potentially occupied waterbodies.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The sources describe a coastal to near-coastal distribution, with records up to 36 km inland. They do not provide an elevation limit.

The species depends on water for breeding and shelter. Reduced rainfall, higher temperatures, drought and altered hydroperiods can reduce habitat suitability and restrict movement between sites.

Foraging habitat: Adult feeding

The provided sources give limited information about feeding by adult Martin’s toadlets. They do identify the feeding habitat and diet of tadpoles.

Adult diet, prey types and foraging range are not described in the provided conservation documents. Do not infer absence from a site only because no frogs or feeding signs are found during daylight searches, as behaviour is poorly known and individuals are likely to spend time underground during unsuitable conditions.

For project planning, retain the terrestrial vegetation, leaf litter, wetland margins and ground cover surrounding breeding waterbodies. These areas are used away from water and may support the invertebrate prey of adult frogs, although prey species are not specified in the sources.

  • Avoid broad vegetation removal around occupied or potentially suitable breeding waterbodies.
  • Avoid soil compaction and sediment entry into wetland habitat during construction and machinery movements.

Foraging habitat: Tadpole feeding

Tadpoles live on the bottom of ponds and feed on algae and detritus. They are fast swimmers and can be difficult to detect among submerged leaf litter.

Maintain pond water quality and submerged habitat during the tadpole period. Ash, sediment and altered water chemistry after fire can reduce tadpole survival.

Tadpole diet: Algae and detritus

Feeding position: On the bottom of ponds

  • Prevent sediment, pollutants and contaminated runoff from entering breeding ponds.
  • Retain submerged leaf litter and pond-bottom habitat unless removal is authorised as part of a species-specific management action.

Breeding habitat: Breeding sites

Breeding is associated with permanent or semi-permanent still water, dense wetland vegetation and saturated ground after significant rain. Breeding males stay close to water, while eggs and tadpoles depend directly on pond vegetation and water quality.

Males call from the base of emergent vegetation in flooded grassland and densely vegetated swamps and ponds. They also call from leaf litter at the edge of waterbodies and, occasionally, from paddocks.

Breeding events usually occur during or after significant rain when the ground is saturated. The species requires permanent or semi-permanent lentic, or still-water, bodies for breeding, although the sources also refer to flooded depressions and ephemeral waterbodies in the context of habitat use and monitoring.

  • Retain emergent vegetation and dense wetland margins.
  • Protect water levels, hydroperiods and water quality from diversion, extraction, pollution and sedimentation.
  • Avoid clearing and machinery access around breeding ponds during calling and tadpole periods.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Calling and breeding season: Males begin calling in early to mid spring. Breeding usually follows significant rain and saturated ground.

Egg placement: Females lay eggs singly and attach them to submerged grass stems or other materials.

Egg size: Ova are about 2 mm in diameter and mostly white.

Clutch size: Unknown

Hatching time: About 8 days

Metamorphosis: Completed in late summer to autumn

Age at maturity: Unknown

Lifespan: Uncertain, estimated at 5 to 14 years

Generation length: Unknown

Breeding habitat: Project controls

Calling males are often used as a proxy for presence and population size, but this can understate the importance of surrounding terrestrial habitat because females generally spend more time away from water. A negative call survey does not therefore demonstrate that a site is unused.

Where works are proposed near suitable wetlands, survey design should account for calling after rain, tadpole detection and non-breeding habitat. The conservation advice identifies further work on the size and placement of protection zones as a priority.

  • Use qualified frog ecologists for survey design and identification.
  • Apply amphibian hygiene procedures when moving between wetlands or handling frogs, equipment and footwear.
  • Seek species-specific advice before disturbing water, emergent vegetation, leaf litter or surrounding terrestrial habitat.

Sheltering habitat: Likely refuges

Martin’s toadlet has poor inferred dispersal ability and likely shelters underground during unsuitable climatic conditions. It also uses terrestrial cover around breeding waterbodies and may burrow to avoid predators.

Individuals are sometimes found away from free water in depressions prone to flooding. Around waterbodies, likely sheltering habitat includes woodland, coastal scrub, dry sclerophyll forest, shrubland, grassland, coastal heath, sedgeland, Melaleuca thickets and leaf litter.

The species is inferred to burrow underground during drought or other unsuitable climatic conditions. Burrowing is also thought to help avoid predation. The sources do not provide burrow dimensions, depth, entrance form or a confirmed refuge substrate.

  • Retain native ground cover, leaf litter, sedges, shrubs and other low vegetation around occupied and potential breeding sites.
  • Avoid deep soil disturbance, ripping, trenching and compaction in terrestrial habitat near wetlands.
  • Keep unburnt refuge areas and intact habitat adjacent to recently burnt areas where practicable.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter during fire and drought

Burrowing may buffer the immediate effects of fire, and Martin’s toadlet has been observed calling at burnt sites when surrounded by intact habitat. Fire can still remove terrestrial cover and degrade ponds through heat, ash, sediment and altered water chemistry.

Drought can cause breeding ponds to dry and can make surrounding habitat unsuitable. Individuals are unlikely to disperse across large areas of unsuitable habitat to find better conditions.

  • Protect intact vegetation and wetland margins during fire planning and post-fire works.
  • Prevent ash and sediment from entering breeding ponds after fire or earthworks.
  • Avoid assuming that a burnt site is unoccupied because frogs are not immediately visible.

Threats: Clearing, fragmentation and roads

Martin’s toadlet is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and in New South Wales and Victoria. The main project-related risks are removal and fragmentation of wetland and terrestrial habitat, hydrology change, sedimentation, fire, invasive animals and disease.

Vegetation clearance for agriculture, timber harvesting, roads, utilities and development removes and fragments breeding and non-breeding habitat. The species is rare or absent in cleared areas, and loss of surrounding terrestrial habitat is likely to affect adult females particularly strongly.

Road construction and maintenance, heavy machinery and soil ripping can compact soil, remove cover, interrupt movement and increase sediment entering swamps and ponds.

General wetland frog terrestrial reference: A mean minimum distance of 200 m from waterbodies is identified for protection, pending Martin’s toadlet-specific research.

  • Avoid clearing occupied or potential breeding wetlands and the surrounding native vegetation.
  • Keep road corridors, utility works and construction compounds away from breeding waterbodies where practicable.
  • Use exclusion zones and clearly marked no-go areas before vegetation or earthworks begin.
  • Control sediment and prevent machinery access to wetland margins and riparian areas.

Threats: Hydrology and water quality

The species depends on permanent or semi-permanent still water for breeding and on water for shelter. Water diversion, extraction, substantial clearing, pollution and altered hydroperiods can reduce breeding success or cause local loss.

Sediment and ash entering ponds after fire can fill refuges, promote toxic algal blooms, reduce oxygen and kill eggs or tadpoles. Sediment slugs may travel up to 80 km downstream of burnt areas.

Potential downstream sediment reach after fire: Up to 80 km

  • Maintain existing drainage patterns and wetland water levels.
  • Prevent dewatering, diversion, polluted runoff and sediment discharge to ponds and swamps.
  • Inspect and maintain erosion and sediment controls after rain and fire.

Threats: Fire and drought

More frequent and severe droughts reduce breeding water and shelter habitat. The species’ range was reduced during the Millennium Drought from 1996 to 2010 and during the drought preceding the 2019 to 2020 fires.

The 2019 to 2020 fires affected about 24 per cent of the mapped distribution, including 8 per cent burnt at high to very high severity. The best estimate was a 14 per cent population decline 10 years after the fires, although the cited confidence range extended from a 35 per cent decline to a 1 per cent increase.

Mapped distribution affected by 2019 to 2020 fires: 24 per cent

Mapped distribution burnt at high to very high severity: 8 per cent

Estimated population change 10 years post-fire: Best estimate, 14 per cent decline

  • Avoid planned burning, slashing and post-fire works in known or potential habitat unless the effects have been assessed and appropriate controls are in place.
  • Protect unburnt habitat near burnt areas as refuge.
  • Plan for ash, sediment and water-quality impacts after fire.

Threats: Disease and invasive animals

The amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has been detected in Martin’s toadlet and may have contributed to decline. Disease-related mortality can reduce the population’s ability to recover from drought and other pressures.

Deer trample vegetation, create wallows and reduce water quality in swamps and ponds. Feral pigs may damage habitat through wallowing, trampling and digging and may consume frogs. Mosquitofish are present at some breeding sites and are suspected to harm eggs and tadpoles.

  • Apply approved amphibian hygiene and equipment decontamination procedures between sites.
  • Prevent the spread of aquatic weeds, pathogens, fish and contaminated water between wetlands.
  • Report and manage deer, feral pig and mosquitofish impacts around breeding sites through the relevant land manager.

Survey methodology: 1. Calling and spotlight surveys

Martin’s toadlet is a small, secretive frog that breeds in moderately sized permanent or semi-permanent swamps and ponds. Surveys should target calling males after significant rain, while also checking surrounding terrestrial habitat because females and non-breeding frogs may be away from water.

Survey from early to mid-spring, and after significant rain when the ground is saturated and breeding is likely. Males produce a single drawn-out note lasting about one second, repeated every two to three seconds.

Search the margins and shallow areas of moderately sized swamps and ponds, including emergent vegetation, dense wetland vegetation and leaf litter at the water’s edge.

Use quiet listening points around the entire accessible wetland margin, followed by spotlighting of the water edge, emergent vegetation and adjacent ground cover.

Record weather, recent rainfall, start and finish times, survey duration, observers, survey route, waterbody condition and all calls or animals detected.

Male call: One drawn-out note of about one second, repeated every two to three seconds

Calling period: Early to mid-spring

Best breeding conditions: During or after significant rain, when the ground is saturated

  • Do not rely on a single visit or on visual searches alone, because the species is secretive and may be underground during unsuitable conditions.
  • Treat calling males as evidence of breeding-site use, but do not use calling males as the sole measure of population size because females spend more time in surrounding terrestrial vegetation.

Survey methodology: 2. Wetland and tadpole searches

Inspect pond margins, submerged leaf litter, emergent vegetation and shallow areas for eggs, tadpoles and metamorphs during and after the breeding period.

Search for tadpoles in the bottom of ponds, where they feed on algae and detritus and can be difficult to see among submerged leaf litter.

Check waterbodies that are moderately sized and permanent or semi-permanent, as well as dams and flooded grassland, while recording water depth, hydroperiod, vegetation and water quality.

  • Use appropriate amphibian hygiene procedures between waterbodies to reduce the risk of spreading chytrid fungus.
  • Avoid disturbing submerged vegetation, leaf litter and pond substrates more than necessary during searches.
  • Record mosquitofish, deer damage, feral pig activity, ash or sediment deposits, algal blooms and other conditions that may affect breeding success.

Survey methodology: 3. Terrestrial habitat searches

Search woodland, dry sclerophyll forest, shrubland, grassland, coastal heath, sedgeland and Melaleuca thickets surrounding breeding wetlands.

Inspect leaf litter, damp depressions and ground near waterbodies, including areas that may flood but do not hold free water at the time of the survey.

Check intact vegetation beyond the wetland margin because the species is rarely recorded in disturbed or cleared areas and females generally spend more time in surrounding vegetation than breeding males.

Recorded inland extent: Up to 36 km inland from the coast

Potential terrestrial habitat: Woodland, dry sclerophyll forest, shrubland, grassland, coastal heath, sedgeland and Melaleuca thickets

  • Record the condition and continuity of terrestrial vegetation between wetlands and any barriers created by roads, cleared areas, construction compounds or drainage works.
  • Do not assume that a cleared paddock is unsuitable if it is adjacent to intact native vegetation, because calling has been recorded from paddocks some distance from intact vegetation.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use repeated surveys covering suitable weather and rainfall conditions rather than relying on one failed or dry-night survey, because the documents do not specify a fixed species-specific number of nights, hours, transect length or trap nights.
  • Document the survey area, wetland extent, surrounding terrestrial habitat, rainfall and temperature conditions, observer effort, detection method, GPS locations, photographs and call recordings where available.
  • Submit confirmed records and negative survey results, where requested, to the relevant state wildlife database and provide records to the project regulator or land manager.
  • Obtain advice from the relevant state amphibian or threatened-species authority before finalising survey effort where clearing may affect a potential breeding wetland or its surrounding vegetation.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Plan the project around the species’ dependence on still water, surrounding native vegetation and movement between breeding and non-breeding habitat. All populations are treated as important under the Commonwealth conservation advice.

  • Retain permanent and semi-permanent swamps and ponds, flooded grassland, dams and associated native vegetation wherever practicable.
  • Retain surrounding woodland, coastal scrub and other intact terrestrial habitat, because the species may use areas away from free water and females are particularly reliant on terrestrial habitat.
  • Avoid clearing, filling, draining, sedimentation or changes to the hydrology of breeding wetlands.
  • Avoid fragmenting wetland to terrestrial habitat connections with roads, utilities, compounds, stockpiles or access tracks.
  • Use a precautionary protection zone around occupied or potentially occupied waterbodies until site-specific survey and habitat assessment establish the area required; the conservation advice cites a mean minimum distance of 200 m for terrestrial habitat around wetland frog records, but recommends that the species-specific zone be determined through further research.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

  • Check whether the proposed action is likely to have a significant impact on this EPBC Act listed Endangered species and refer it under the EPBC Act where required.
  • Check state threatened-species legislation, planning controls, wildlife handling requirements and any permit or licence conditions before works begin.
  • Confirm whether the project occurs in Victoria or NSW, where the supplied documents identify Martin’s toadlet as Endangered under the relevant state arrangements.
  • Schedule clearing and wetland works to avoid early to mid-spring calling and breeding, and avoid periods during or after significant rain when breeding activity is most likely.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies breeding wetlands, terrestrial habitat, access controls, hygiene procedures, stop-work triggers, authorised handlers, release sites and reporting responsibilities.
  • Stage works so that retained wetlands and surrounding vegetation remain connected and protected throughout construction.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete targeted pre-clearance surveys of wetlands, wetland margins and surrounding terrestrial habitat under suitable rainfall and temperature conditions.
  • Mark waterbodies, wetland margins, retained native vegetation, drainage lines, access routes and no-go areas before machinery enters the site.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery, vehicles, people, sediment or stock from entering retained habitat, and inspect the fencing daily.
  • Locate and protect temporary refuge features such as damp depressions, dense ground cover, leaf litter and logs near wetlands.
  • Brief all workers on identification, stop-work procedures, amphibian hygiene and the requirement to contact the fauna spotter catcher before handling any frog.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter catcher procedures

Keep works outside retained wetlands and habitat wherever possible. A fauna spotter catcher should control the interaction between machinery and habitat, but must not replace pre-clearance survey, exclusion fencing or project controls.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, wetland buffers, sediment controls, access routes and machinery before work starts each day.
  • Require the fauna spotter catcher to walk the immediate work area before clearing, after overnight rain and whenever work moves into a new area.
  • Keep machinery stopped while the spotter catcher checks dense vegetation, damp depressions, leaf litter, pond margins and other potential frog refuges.
  • Use a slow, staged clearing sequence directed by the spotter catcher, with habitat removed towards retained vegetation or an approved open direction rather than into wetlands.
  • Keep fuels, chemicals, concrete washout, spoil, sediment and construction waste away from waterbodies and drainage paths.
  • Apply amphibian hygiene procedures to footwear, equipment, nets, containers and vehicles that contact water, mud or frogs.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat and wetland protection

  • Do not fill, drain, divert, extract from or otherwise alter a breeding wetland unless the action has been assessed and approved.
  • Prevent soil compaction and sediment entry from roads, heavy machinery, riparian work and soil ripping.
  • Retain emergent vegetation, submerged vegetation, leaf litter and surrounding native ground cover unless removal is authorised under the project plan.
  • Protect unburnt habitat and wetland refuges during any planned burn or fire management activity, and prevent ash and sediment runoff into ponds.
  • If a wetland or surrounding habitat is unexpectedly damaged, stop the relevant activity, isolate the area and notify the project ecologist and environmental officer.

During habitat disturbance: Frog encounters and stop-work triggers

  • Stop work in the immediate area if a Martin’s toadlet is found, and keep machinery, workers and vehicles clear until the authorised fauna handler has assessed the animal and the habitat.
  • Do not allow untrained workers to catch, move, retain or release the frog.
  • Handle the animal only under the relevant wildlife authority approval, permit and project procedure, using clean, wet hands or clean equipment appropriate for amphibians.
  • Release a healthy animal into nearby suitable retained habitat that is outside the work area and approved in the fauna management plan; do not release it into an unassessed waterbody.
  • Place an injured or distressed animal in a clean, suitable container and arrange prompt assessment by an appropriately authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian.
  • Stop work and seek ecological advice if frogs are found repeatedly, if eggs or tadpoles are detected, if a breeding event is occurring, or if work is affecting a wetland, wetland margin or connected terrestrial habitat not covered by the approved plan.
  • Record every animal, egg mass, tadpole detection, relocation, injury, mortality and stop-work event, including time, GPS location, habitat, action taken, handler and final outcome.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work must confirm that no frogs or breeding habitat were overlooked and that retained wetlands remain functional. Continue controls until the site is stable and the project ecologist has closed the fauna risk controls.

  • Inspect the cleared area, wetland margins, retained vegetation and exclusion fencing after each clearing stage and after substantial rainfall.
  • Search for stranded or injured frogs in machinery tracks, spoil, trenches, drains, sediment controls and temporary water-holding areas.
  • Check that no retained pond, swamp, flooded grassland or connected terrestrial habitat has been filled, drained, compacted or polluted.
  • Remove or cover pits, trenches and pipes that could trap frogs, or provide approved escape measures until they are closed.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained wetlands and surrounding terrestrial habitat during early to mid-spring and after significant rain for calling males, frogs, eggs and tadpoles.
  • Record changes in hydroperiod, water quality, vegetation condition, sediment or ash deposits, deer wallows, mosquitofish and other threats identified in the conservation advice.
  • Compare monitoring results with pre-construction records and investigate any loss of calling activity, wetland drying, habitat degradation or new barriers to movement.
  • Report threatened-species detections, injuries, deaths, breeding activity, permit breaches and unexpected impacts to the relevant regulator, land manager and state wildlife database as required by approvals.

After habitat disturbance: Ongoing controls and offsets

  • Maintain no-go fencing, wetland buffers, sediment controls and vehicle restrictions until rehabilitation is established and the environmental officer approves their removal.
  • Protect retained habitat through the project’s operational management plan, conservation agreement or in-perpetuity covenant where available.
  • Apply approved offsets or other compensatory measures where residual impacts remain after avoidance and mitigation, in accordance with the EPBC Act and applicable state requirements.
  • Use new survey and monitoring results to revise work methods, protection zones, fire planning and invasive-species controls.

Rehabilitation actions: Wetland and terrestrial habitat restoration

Rehabilitation should restore still-water breeding habitat and the native vegetation that surrounds it. It should also reduce the threats identified for Martin’s toadlet, especially altered hydrology, vegetation loss, fire impacts, deer, feral pigs, mosquitofish, weeds and chytrid disease.

  • Reinstate or improve moderately sized permanent or semi-permanent ponds and swamps only where hydrology, approvals and expert design support their suitability for the species.
  • Maintain natural or approved hydroperiods, prevent water diversion and extraction, and keep sediment, pollutants and construction runoff out of breeding waterbodies.
  • Replant native dry sclerophyll forest, woodland, shrubland, grassland, coastal heath, sedgeland and Melaleuca thickets around breeding sites, using locally appropriate species selected with the project ecologist and land manager.
  • Restore continuous native ground cover and damp depressions between wetlands and retained vegetation to support movement and non-breeding shelter.
  • Reinstate natural leaf litter, logs and other ground refuges where they have been removed, without placing material in a way that blocks wetland drainage or creates a fire hazard.

Rehabilitation actions: Threat control and fire management

  • Remove weeds around breeding sites by hand pulling, cutting or cut-and-paint methods where appropriate, because some herbicide formulations can harm frogs and tadpoles.
  • Control deer around breeding sites and adjacent habitat, including exclusion fencing where feasible, to reduce trampling, wallowing and water-quality impacts.
  • Control feral pigs where they occur near breeding sites and prevent wallowing, digging and vegetation damage.
  • Reduce or eliminate mosquitofish from breeding sites where feasible and authorised.
  • Develop fire management actions with Traditional Custodians and relevant land managers, protect unburnt refuges, avoid damaging wetland habitat and use an adaptive approach as evidence improves.
  • Apply amphibian hygiene procedures during restoration and monitoring to reduce the spread of chytrid fungus.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Primary conservation objective: Maintain the current distribution with existing habitat well managed and increase population size

Commonwealth recovery plan position: A national recovery plan was not required at the time of the 2023 conservation advice because the updated conservation advice was considered sufficient direction for priority actions

  • Monitor restored wetlands and surrounding vegetation during early to mid-spring and after significant rain for the characteristic male call, adult frogs, eggs, tadpoles and metamorphs.
  • Measure wetland hydroperiod, water quality, sediment load, vegetation establishment, weed cover, deer and pig damage, mosquitofish presence and connectivity to retained habitat.
  • Treat successful rehabilitation as evidence of improved habitat condition and functioning wetland use, not merely plant survival or pond construction.
  • Investigate and correct any failure shown by repeated wetland drying, loss of native vegetation, new barriers, persistent sediment or pollutant inputs, invasive species damage, or absence of expected breeding indicators.
  • Report monitoring results, management actions and any Martin’s toadlet records to the project regulator, land manager and relevant state wildlife database.

Sources