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Northern Heath Frog (Rawlinsonia littlejohni)

The Northern Heath Frog is an endangered tree frog restricted to high-elevation sandstone plateaus and mountain ranges in New South Wales. It breeds in permanent or semi-permanent ponds, ephemeral ponds and slow-flowing creeks, so clearing, altered drainage, fire, disease and breaks in movement routes can affect both breeding sites and the surrounding forest.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Breeding season

Northern Heath Frogs can breed through most of the year, with calling peaks in February and July to September. Eggs are laid mainly in autumn, while tadpoles may remain in ponds for 3 to 11 months, so clearing, draining and dewatering can affect several life stages in the same year.

Reproductive mode: Egg laying in aquatic breeding sites.

Clutch size or Litter size: Approximately 60 to 120 eggs per clutch. Other sources report up to 60 eggs or 70 to 100 eggs, including composite descriptions of Litoria littlejohni sensu lato.

Incubation or Gestation: Not recorded.

Size at hatching or birth: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Males mature one year after metamorphosis. Female maturity age is not recorded.

Nest or egg sites: Egg clusters are attached to submerged twigs, stems, sticks and overhanging branches near the bank or toward the top of ponds, creek pools and slow-flowing streams.

Breeding frequency: Breeding has been recorded through most of the year, except early summer in December, and is triggered or increased by heavy rain and sufficient runoff.

Confirm timing locally before works, using recent rainfall, runoff, pond hydroperiod and temperature conditions to guide pre-clearing surveys and any dewatering or fauna management.

  • Calling: Males have documented calling peaks in February and July to September. Calling can occur through most of the year after heavy rain or when runoff is available, but December is identified as an early-summer period when breeding is generally absent.
  • Egg laying: Eggs are reported as being laid in autumn, March to May. Breeding can occur through most of the year after suitable rain, so additional egg laying outside autumn is possible, but exact monthly egg-laying peaks are not established.
  • Tadpoles: Tadpoles may be present in water throughout the year because development takes about 3 to 4 months in some accounts and 4 to 11 months in others. Eggs laid in autumn overwinter as tadpoles, and longer development is associated with cooler-season cohorts.
  • Metamorphs: Metamorphosis can occur throughout the year because breeding is possible through most of the year and tadpole development ranges from about 3 to 11 months. No specific peak month for juvenile emergence is recorded.
  • Active period: The species has been recorded breeding through most of the year and disperses into surrounding forest away from breeding sites. Activity and movement are expected to increase after suitable rainfall, but no separate monthly activity period is documented.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest in February, March to May and July to September, combining a February calling peak, autumn egg laying and the July to September calling peak. Tadpoles and metamorphs may be present in any month, and clearing around ponds, creek pools and forest corridors can also remove shelter and movement habitat outside peak breeding periods.

Identification

The Northern Heath Frog is a large tree frog of forested sandstone country. Identification should be based on the combination of colour pattern, size, habitat and, where possible, comparison with similar local tree frogs.

Key field features are a red-orange colour in the armpits, groin and thighs, a dark brown stripe extending from the snout over the eye and ear, and a relatively large body compared with similar species.

  • Check the armpits, groin and inner thighs for red-orange colouration.
  • Look for the dark brown stripe running from the snout over the eye and ear.
  • Record the nearby habitat, especially sandstone ponds, slow-flowing creeks, heath and dry forest, because habitat is an important part of the identification.

Identification: Size and sex

The supplied documents do not provide a complete adult length range, body weight, or reliable field differences between males and females. Genetic sampling in the Central Coast study was undertaken on frogs greater than 40 mm snout to vent length, which confirms that this threshold represents an adult-sized animal in that study.

Documented measurement threshold: Greater than 40 mm snout to vent length for genetic sampling in the Central Coast study.

  • Do not use apparent body size alone for identification. Photograph the frog, record snout to vent length where authorised, and retain the location and habitat details.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

The supplied Hunter Region guide lists Litoria jervisiensis and Litoria verreauxii as similar species. The guide does not provide a call description, call comparison, tracks, scats, nests, sloughs or eyeshine features for the Northern Heath Frog.

  • Compare the red-orange armpit, groin and thigh colour, the dark facial stripe and the relatively large size against suspected Litoria jervisiensis and Litoria verreauxii.
  • Treat a frog found away from open water with caution because the species is forest dependent and has no known records from cleared land in the supplied assessment.
  • Use photographs and expert confirmation for uncertain records, particularly where construction works could affect a suspected breeding site.

Distribution: National range

The Northern Heath Frog is endemic to New South Wales and has a highly fragmented distribution along the Great Dividing Range and coastal escarpments. The supplied documents identify isolated high-elevation populations rather than a continuous range.

The species is restricted to New South Wales in the supplied documents. It occurs in high-elevation sandstone country in the central and southeastern parts of the state, including the Central Coast Ranges, the Woronora Plateau and the Kings Tableland in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

  • Treat records from high-elevation sandstone plateaus, mountain ranges and forested coastal escarpments as potentially significant.
  • The supplied documents do not provide a complete state-wide bioregional range map or a confirmed northern and southern range boundary.

Distribution: Known strongholds and subpopulations

One supplied assessment identifies three remaining populations: the Woronora Plateau south of Sydney, the Kings Tableland in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, and the northern Central Coast Ranges in Olney State Forest. The Central Coast population includes natural creek pools and constructed ponds, with a study identifying two genetically distinct subpopulations only 2.5 km apart.

Genetically distinct Central Coast subpopulations: Two subpopulations separated by approximately 2.5 km, with limited gene flow.

Remaining populations identified in one assessment: Three: Woronora Plateau, Kings Tableland and northern Central Coast Ranges.

  • The Olney State Forest population should be treated as a high-risk occurrence because the supplied assessment states that the proposed infrastructure overlaps most of the known Central Coast Range habitat.
  • Historical records exist from other locations, including Ourimbah State Forest, the Newnes Plateau and the Blue Mountains region, but intensive targeted surveys failed to detect the species across large parts of that former range.

Distribution: Population size and trend

A total population estimate is not provided in the supplied documents. The species has declined substantially from its former range, and the remaining populations are isolated. The supplied assessment states that the decline is ongoing and predicts extinction within 50 years if it is not halted or reversed.

Population estimate: Not provided in the supplied documents.

Reported trend: Declining, with continuing isolation and loss of former localities.

Central Coast habitat affected by the assessed infrastructure proposal: Reported as more than 80 percent of known habitat in that regional population.

  • Do not assume that an apparently small local impact is minor. At Olney State Forest, the supplied assessment states that more than 80 percent of the known Central Coast Range habitat could be affected by the proposed works.

Habitat: Habitat types

The species is a forest-dependent frog of elevated sandstone country. It needs a combination of intact forest or heath, suitable breeding water and connections between waterbodies and surrounding cover.

The species is associated with dry sclerophyll forest, eucalypt forest and heathland on sandstone plateaus and mountain ranges. It relies on permanent or semi-permanent ponds and slow-flowing creeks for breeding, and also uses ephemeral ponds.

  • Retain native forest around ponds, creek pools and first-order headwater streams.
  • Protect both natural waterbodies and constructed forest dams where the species is present or where they form part of a known breeding network.
  • Do not treat a pond in isolation. Natural creek systems can support movement and gene flow between breeding sites.

Habitat: Elevation and site structure

The species is described as a high-elevation frog occurring above 100 metres on sandstone plateaus and mountain ranges. In the Central Coast Ranges, natural breeding ponds occur in first-order streams on an elevated plateau near drainage divides.

Documented elevation: Above 100 metres above sea level.

Natural breeding setting in the Central Coast Ranges: First-order streams and pools on an elevated sandstone plateau.

  • Avoid clearing forest between breeding ponds, creek pools and adjacent heath or dry forest.
  • Maintain shaded, vegetated connections across headwater drainage lines and around ponds.
  • Avoid disrupting the natural hydrology of first-order streams, drainage divides and creek headwaters.

Habitat: Artificial waterbodies

The species can breed in human-constructed forest dams, including fire dams. Constructed ponds can support breeding and persistence, but the supplied genetic study found that natural creek systems also support dispersal and genetic connectivity.

  • Retain existing forest dams and ponds where they are known to support the species.
  • Plan any new pond as part of a connected group of breeding sites, not as a replacement for natural creek pools.
  • Prevent construction from severing the forested links between constructed ponds and natural streams.

Foraging habitat: Available evidence

The supplied documents do not describe the Northern Heath Frog's diet, prey species, feeding height or foraging distance. Field planning should therefore protect the forest and ground conditions around breeding water rather than relying on a narrow feeding-area buffer derived from unsupported measurements.

No prey list, feeding observations, foraging range or food plants are provided in the supplied documents. The species is associated with dry sclerophyll forest, heathland, sandstone plateaus and forested waterbodies, but the documents do not establish which parts of that habitat are used for feeding.

  • Record the vegetation, ground cover, rocks, logs, leaf litter and wet areas around any frog observation, because these features may be relevant to feeding and daytime shelter even though species-specific use has not been documented in the supplied material.
  • Avoid clearing the forest and heath surrounding breeding ponds while relying only on the mapped water surface to define habitat.

Foraging habitat: Practical survey approach

The species is cryptic and of low abundance, making traditional capture-mark-recapture monitoring ineffective in the supplied study. Targeted night searches around ponds and slow-flowing creeks, supported by call-playback for males, were used in the Central Coast study.

  • Undertake authorised night-time visual searches around ponds, creek pools and adjoining forest edges.
  • Use call-playback only under an approved survey method and record the exact waterbody, weather, date and search effort.
  • Do not infer absence from a single unsuccessful search, especially at sites with suitable breeding water and intact forest.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding depends on still or slow-moving water within forested sandstone country. Both natural and constructed waterbodies can be used, but natural creek systems appear particularly important for movement and genetic exchange.

Breeding occurs predominantly during the cooler months, from autumn through spring. Tadpole development is slow and often lasts for months, so a breeding site can remain important well beyond the initial calling and egg-laying period.

Breeding season: Predominantly autumn through spring, approximately March to November.

Egg or clutch size: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Incubation period: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Larval development: Often lasts for months.

Age at maturity: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Lifespan: Not reported in the supplied documents.

  • Treat ponds and creek pools as breeding habitat from autumn through spring, and retain protection while tadpoles are present.
  • Survey both natural and constructed waterbodies, including ephemeral ponds that may hold water only after suitable rainfall.
  • Avoid changes to water depth, flow, water quality or hydroperiod during the breeding and larval period.

Breeding habitat: Required breeding features

The species breeds in still waters, including ephemeral and permanent ponds, and in permanent or semi-permanent ponds and slow-flowing creeks. In the Central Coast Ranges, natural breeding sites occur in first-order headwater streams on an elevated sandstone plateau.

  • Protect the pond margin, adjoining forest and the upstream and downstream drainage area.
  • Keep breeding water connected to nearby forest and other breeding sites through intact native vegetation.
  • Do not replace natural creek pools with constructed ponds without assessing the loss of hydrological and movement functions.

Breeding habitat: Breeding survey signs

The supplied study used night visual encounter surveys and call-playback targeted at males, as well as daytime inspection and dip-netting for tadpoles. Tadpoles were described as jet black, with a blue ventral surface and a characteristic 45-degree suspension in the water column.

  • Search the waterbody after dark for adults and calling males using approved methods.
  • Inspect the water column during the day for jet-black tadpoles with a blue underside and approximately 45-degree suspension.
  • Use repeated surveys across seasons where a breeding site is proposed for clearing or construction.

Sheltering habitat: Forest cover and ground refuges

Specific daytime refuge sites have not been described in the supplied documents. The available evidence shows that the species is forest dependent and does not have known records from cleared land, so shelter habitat should be retained around breeding waters.

The species occurs in heath and dry forest and has no known records from cleared land in the supplied assessment. The documents do not identify particular logs, rocks, tree hollows, burrows or leaf-litter depths used for shelter.

  • Retain continuous native vegetation around ponds, creek pools and access routes.
  • Avoid converting forested corridors to open ground or a narrow shrub layer.
  • Keep fallen timber, leaf litter, rocks and low vegetation in place unless a qualified ecologist identifies a specific safety or disease-management reason for removal.

Sheltering habitat: Waterbody margins and movement cover

The species is associated with ponds, slow-flowing sandstone creeks and first-order headwater streams. The supplied assessment states that frogs are unlikely to cross open areas created by a cleared transmission corridor.

  • Maintain vegetated cover between breeding waterbodies and surrounding forest.
  • Avoid creating open crossings between ponds, creek pools and forest habitat.
  • Where a crossing cannot be avoided, obtain species-specific advice on construction timing, temporary exclusion, fauna handling and habitat reinstatement.

Sheltering habitat: Documented refuge information gaps

The supplied documents do not provide refuge dimensions, tree hollow requirements, burrow dimensions, daily movement distances or confirmed dispersal distances. Individual dispersal distances and fine-scale movement patterns remain unstudied.

Documented individual dispersal distance: No direct empirical data available.

Documented refuge dimensions: Not provided in the supplied documents.

  • Do not apply a hollow, burrow or den specification to this species without further evidence.
  • Map all potential shelter and movement habitat around occupied breeding sites during pre-clearing surveys.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main documented risks are habitat loss and fragmentation, chytridiomycosis, altered hydrology, severe fire and isolation of breeding sites. Infrastructure that clears forest or interrupts headwater streams can affect both local breeding and movement between sites.

The species has declined from its former range and now persists in isolated populations. Clearing for substations, transmission corridors, roads and access infrastructure can remove breeding sites, divide forest habitat and create open areas that frogs are unlikely to cross.

  • Avoid clearing occupied ponds, creek pools, headwater streams and the forest between them.
  • Treat a proposed corridor through known habitat as a regional population impact, not only as a local patch loss.
  • Retain forested links between natural creek systems and constructed ponds.

Threats: Hydrology and construction

The species breeds in still or slow-flowing water, and the supplied assessment warns that major works can disrupt the natural hydrology of headwater streams and directly affect natural breeding sites. Changes to pond hydroperiod, sediment inputs, drainage and flow may remove breeding function even when the waterbody itself remains.

  • Keep machinery, spoil, sediment and contaminated water away from ponds, creek pools and first-order streams.
  • Prevent diversion, drainage concentration and flow alteration at headwater breeding sites.
  • Inspect breeding sites after major rainfall and construction events for changed inflow, sedimentation and loss of water.

Threats: Disease and climate-related events

Chytridiomycosis is identified as a major factor in the species' decline, and the species is described as highly susceptible. Drought, heavy rainfall, severe wildfire and other natural disasters can add pressure to already isolated populations.

  • Apply approved amphibian hygiene procedures between waterbodies and during handling.
  • Avoid moving water, mud, aquatic vegetation or equipment between breeding sites unless it has been cleaned and disinfected under the project hygiene protocol.
  • Plan post-fire and post-drought surveys because constructed ponds may support persistence, while natural creek connectivity remains important for gene flow.

Threats: Other threats and evidence gaps

The supplied documents do not identify a species-specific predator list or quantify road mortality. Roads and access infrastructure are nevertheless relevant where they clear forest, alter drainage or interrupt movement between breeding sites.

  • Record road crossings, barriers, open verges and vehicle access routes near occupied ponds and streams.
  • Do not assume that predator control is required without site evidence and appropriate approvals.
  • Refer suspected disease, injury or mortality to the relevant state wildlife authority and project disease-management contact.

Survey methodology: 1. Survey habitat and timing

Survey this endangered, habitat-specialist frog in and around permanent or semi-permanent ponds, ephemeral ponds and slow-flowing sandstone creeks. The available study used night-time visual encounter surveys and call playback across all seasons, but the supplied documents do not provide a formal national survey guideline or a fixed minimum effort for project assessments.

Search ponds and slow-flowing sandstone creeks in high-elevation forest and heath habitats. The species has been recorded above 100 metres elevation and is associated with dry sclerophyll and eucalypt forests.

Breeding occurs mainly from autumn through spring, and larval development can last for months. Plan repeat surveys across the cooler months and include other seasons where works may affect breeding habitat.

Include natural creek pools, permanent and semi-permanent ponds, fire dams and other constructed forest ponds in the search area. Constructed ponds may support breeding, but natural creek systems may provide dispersal and genetic connectivity.

Known regional habitat: Ponds and slow-flowing sandstone creeks in forest and heath habitats

Main breeding period: Autumn through spring

Known elevation association: Above 100 metres

Available study area: Watagans National Park and Olney State Forest in the Central Coast Ranges

Survey methodology: 2. Night spotlighting and call playback

Conduct active visual encounter surveys at each pond after dark, using two to four observers and spotlights.

Complete two consecutive search rounds at each site: first search visually for all frog species, then conduct a targeted search for Northern Heath Frog males using call playback.

Search the pond margins, shallow water, nearby vegetation and slow-flowing creek edges. Record the start and finish time, weather, water level, observer numbers and the areas searched, because detection may vary with rainfall and drought conditions.

Use the same method at each visit so that results can be compared between sites and dates. The published study surveyed all seasons and used repeated visits, with eight surveys in the later period after two newly discovered ponds were added.

Observers: Two to four people

Survey period: After dark

Search rounds: Two consecutive rounds at each site

Targeted method: Call playback for males after the initial visual search

Published repeat effort: Surveys were conducted across seasons and years; eight surveys were reported for the later period after two ponds were added

Survey methodology: 3. Tadpole and breeding-site checks

Inspect ponds during the day for tadpoles, particularly where adult surveys identify calling or breeding activity.

Visually count tadpoles where water clarity allows, and record the mean count when more than one surveyor is present.

Use dip-netting where vegetation, debris or poor visibility prevents a reliable visual count. The published method used approximately ten 2 metre sweeps per 25 square metres, with sweeps distributed through the pond.

Identify suspected Northern Heath Frog tadpoles using the reported black colouration, blue ventral surface and characteristic 45 degree suspension in the water column.

Do not biopsy or handle tadpoles unless the work is covered by the required scientific and animal ethics approvals. The published study collected tail tips only from tadpoles longer than 18 millimetres and stored samples in 70 percent ethanol.

Published dip-net effort: Approximately ten 2 metre sweeps per 25 square metres

Published tadpole sampling threshold: Tail tips collected only from tadpoles longer than 18 millimetres

Reported tadpole features: Jet-black colouration, blue ventral surface and 45 degree suspension

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

Use a qualified amphibian ecologist to set the final effort, site coverage and seasonal schedule because the supplied documents do not provide a fixed national minimum survey effort.

Survey every waterbody and slow-flowing creek section that could be disturbed, altered hydrologically or disconnected by the project, including ponds outside the direct clearing footprint that may provide movement habitat.

Record survey dates, times, observers, weather, rainfall conditions, waterbody identity, coordinates, survey method, effort, detections, call activity, tadpole observations and photographs where permitted.

Submit confirmed records and negative survey results to the relevant state wildlife database and any project or approval reporting system. Use the applicable state database for the project location, such as BioNet where relevant in New South Wales, and retain the full survey data with the project records.

Report the species under the scientific name and the name used in the applicable approval or database. The supplied sources use both Rawlinsonia littlejohni and Litoria littlejohni.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Treat Northern Heath Frog habitat as a connected system of breeding ponds, creek pools, forest cover and movement routes. The Central Coast population is highly restricted, and the supplied assessment states that infrastructure could affect more than 80 percent of its known habitat in that regional area.

Avoid clearing or placing infrastructure in ponds, creek pools, headwater drainage areas and the forest surrounding them.

Retain natural creek connectivity between breeding sites. Do not assume that constructed ponds replace natural streams, because the available genetic study found that natural creek systems support dispersal and genetic connectivity.

Retain continuous forest cover between waterbodies. The species is forest dependent, and the supplied assessment reports no known records from cleared land.

Keep transmission corridors, roads, access tracks and work areas out of known breeding sites and movement routes wherever practicable. Open cleared corridors may prevent movement between sites.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and planning

Confirm whether the proposed action requires referral or approval under the EPBC Act because the species is listed as Endangered.

Obtain the relevant state scientific, wildlife handling, animal ethics and threatened-species approvals before survey, capture, tissue sampling or relocation work.

Map all known and potential ponds, creek pools, drainage divides, forest cover and proposed clearing before finalising the design.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey timing, exclusion areas, spotter catcher responsibilities, stop-work triggers, wet-weather controls, relocation arrangements, injury response and reporting requirements.

Before habitat disturbance: Timing and site preparation

Schedule clearing outside the main autumn to spring breeding period where the approval and risk assessment allow, and avoid works during periods when ponds contain eggs, tadpoles or calling adults.

Stage works so that retained ponds, creek pools and forest movement routes remain connected while construction proceeds.

Complete a pre-clearance survey using night spotlighting, visual encounter searches and call playback before works begin.

Mark waterbodies, creek pools, forest retention areas and no-go buffers clearly on plans and on the ground.

Use exclusion fencing where it can prevent entry into retained ponds and other sensitive habitat, but inspect it regularly and ensure that it does not block required movement between retained breeding sites.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and supervision

Keep an experienced fauna spotter catcher involved throughout clearing and earthworks near breeding habitat. Work must stop when the approved controls cannot protect a frog, breeding site or movement route.

Inspect exclusion fencing, sediment controls, drainage controls and no-go markers before work starts each day.

Check ponds, creek pools and wet areas before machinery enters or changes ground levels near them.

Keep machinery, stockpiles, access tracks, fuels and spoil outside retained ponds, creek pools and marked forest retention areas.

Prevent sediment, concrete, hydrocarbons and other contaminants from entering breeding waterbodies.

Use the fauna spotter catcher to maintain direct communication with operators, including agreed hand signals or radio calls, and keep the spotter in a position where the work area and escape routes can be seen.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature handling

Do not drain, fill, isolate or substantially alter ponds, creek pools or slow-flowing sandstone creeks without the approved environmental controls and authorisation.

Treat natural headwater drainage areas as sensitive because the species uses small upper-elevation waterbodies and creek pools for breeding.

Retain forest cover around waterbodies and along creek lines. Do not clear vegetation to a shrub layer or create open corridors through known habitat unless specifically assessed and approved.

If machinery exposes a frog, tadpole, egg mass or occupied wet area, stop the relevant activity and have the fauna spotter catcher assess the find before work resumes.

During habitat disturbance: Animal response and stop-work triggers

Stop work immediately if a Northern Heath Frog is found in the active work area, if tadpoles or eggs are found in water that may be disturbed, or if approved buffers, fencing or sediment controls fail.

Allow only authorised and suitably trained personnel to capture, handle or relocate the frog. Minimise handling, use clean equipment and follow the conditions of the wildlife and animal ethics approvals.

Relocate an animal only when authorised and only to suitable nearby retained habitat identified in the fauna management plan. Do not move animals between isolated populations or across catchments without explicit approval.

Place an injured frog in a clean, secure container and obtain veterinary or wildlife carer assistance through the approved project response procedure.

Resume work only after the fauna spotter catcher has confirmed that the animal has been secured or has moved into retained habitat, the work area has been checked and any required approval holder or environmental manager has authorised recommencement.

During habitat disturbance: Records and incident reporting

Record every detection, capture, relocation, injury, mortality, stop-work event, waterbody impact and control failure on the day it occurs.

For each record, include the date, time, coordinates, habitat, weather, activity underway, personnel involved, photographs where permitted, action taken and the person who authorised recommencement.

Notify the project environmental manager and the relevant approval authority of any threatened-species incident within the timeframe required by the approval or fauna management plan.

Update project maps after each detection so that new breeding sites and movement routes are protected during later work stages.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance checks must confirm that breeding waterbodies, forest cover and movement routes remain functional. Follow-up monitoring is particularly important where works occur in the restricted Central Coast population or near known breeding sites.

Inspect the cleared area, retained ponds, creek pools and creek crossings after each clearing stage and after major rainfall.

Check for stranded, injured or dead frogs, damaged exclusion fencing, sediment entry, altered flows and newly isolated waterbodies.

Repeat night visual encounter surveys and call playback at affected and retained sites using the same method and site coverage as the pre-clearance surveys.

Inspect tadpole habitat during the breeding period and record any change in water level, water quality, vegetation, egg or tadpole presence and access between waterbodies.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and controls

Maintain fencing, sediment controls, no-go markers and waterbody protection measures until the environmental manager confirms that the site is stable and the approval conditions allow their removal.

Monitor retained ponds and creek connections through autumn to spring, when breeding is most likely, and continue for the period specified in the approval or fauna management plan.

Compare post-work detections, tadpole observations and habitat condition with baseline results. Interpret changes in light of rainfall, drought and temperature because the published study found that environmental conditions influenced dispersal and genetic differentiation.

Investigate reduced detections promptly rather than treating them as evidence that the species has left the site.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and offsets

Provide the regulator, approval holder and project environmental manager with survey data, incident records, habitat condition results and any corrective actions.

Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain spatial data, photographs and field sheets with the project records.

Implement any approved offset, restoration or compensatory measure required under the EPBC Act, state approval or consent condition. Do not use an offset as a substitute for avoiding impacts to known breeding habitat and connectivity.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore breeding habitat and connectivity

Rehabilitation should restore the functions used by Northern Heath Frog: forested breeding habitat, clean and persistent pond or creek-pool water, and connected cover between sites. Design measures from the site evidence rather than treating a new pond as a replacement for natural creek connectivity.

Reinstate natural drainage patterns and prevent concentrated runoff from eroding or filling ponds and creek pools.

Where an approved action requires replacement breeding habitat, design ponds to provide permanent or semi-permanent water and locate them within retained forest, with suitable connections to natural creek systems.

Use additional ponds as stepping-stones only where they are supported by site assessment and approvals. The genetic study proposed ponds between the northern and southern sub-populations to improve connectivity, but also identified a trade-off between breeding habitat provided by constructed ponds and dispersal supported by natural streams.

Replant cleared margins and movement routes with locally appropriate native forest and heath vegetation, using species and provenance approved for the site. The supplied documents do not identify a fixed planting list.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage restored sites

Control weeds and prevent dense exotic vegetation from changing pond margins, creek flows or forest structure.

Manage erosion, sediment and pollutants so that breeding water remains suitable, particularly where the site contains acidic or sandstone-derived water conditions identified for the regional habitat.

Develop a fire management approach that protects ponds, creek pools and retained forest refuges from severe disturbance while meeting the approved ecological and bushfire requirements.

Do not introduce frogs, tadpoles or genetic material from another population unless a specific translocation or conservation breeding approval authorises it.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitor success

Inspect restored ponds, creek pools, vegetation and movement routes after construction, after major rainfall and through autumn to spring.

Use night visual encounter surveys, call playback and tadpole checks to measure adult presence, calling activity, breeding evidence and recruitment.

Record whether restored sites retain water, remain connected to forest and creek habitat, and avoid sediment or pollution impacts.

Set success measures in the rehabilitation plan using the pre-clearance baseline, such as stable waterbody condition, maintained forest connectivity, repeated adult detections and evidence of eggs or tadpoles where breeding habitat is intended.

Continue monitoring for the period required by the approval and adapt pond, drainage, weed, erosion or fire measures when the success measures are not met.

Sources