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Pouched Frog (Assa darlingtoni)

The Pouched Frog is a small terrestrial frog of cool, moist rainforest and moist eucalypt forest in south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. It shelters in leaf litter and under rocks and logs, lays eggs on the forest floor, and is sensitive to clearing, fire, drying of microhabitat, disease and disturbance during works.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Pouched Frogs breed on the forest floor from spring into summer, with eggs laid in damp leaf litter or under logs and rocks. Tadpoles develop in the male’s hip pouches for 48 to 69 days, so clearing during the breeding period can affect nests, pouch young, froglets and sheltering adults.

Reproductive mode: Egg laying on land, with tadpoles developing in the male’s bilateral hip pouches.

Clutch size or Litter size: 1 to 50 eggs annually per female. Up to six tadpoles may be carried in each pouch.

Incubation or Gestation: Eggs hatch after several days. An 11-day period is reported in captivity. Pouch development takes 48 to 69 days.

Size at hatching or birth: Hatchling length is reported as 2.5 mm.

Age at maturity: Females are estimated to begin breeding at 2 to 3 years.

Nest or egg sites: Damp dirt, moist decomposing leaves, deep leaf litter, and ground beneath rotting logs or rocks.

Breeding frequency: One clutch per year is reported.

Confirm timing locally before clearing, particularly after rainfall and where temperature or recent wet weather may extend calling, egg laying, pouch development or froglet emergence.

  • Calling: Males call during the documented breeding period from October to May, with the main calling period in October to December. Calling is most likely after rain and is strongest around dawn and dusk.
  • Egg laying: Eggs are laid on land during spring and summer, including under rotting logs, rocks, damp dirt and leaf litter. The supplied sources do not identify a more precise monthly peak.
  • Tadpoles: After hatching, tadpoles enter the male’s hip pouches and remain there for 48 to 69 days. Exact monthly timing is not reported, so the row follows the October to May breeding period.
  • Froglets: Fully formed froglets emerge 48 to 69 days after entering the male’s pouches. On the documented October to May breeding schedule, emergence may extend from December to July, but no monthly emergence record is available.
  • Active period: No species-specific activity calendar is reported. As a general working pattern for a wet forest frog, expect most surface activity and movement during the wetter, warmer breeding period from October to May, particularly after rain.
  • Winter inactivity: No brumation, hibernation or other winter dormancy is documented. As general practice in the cooler months, inspect damp leaf litter, rocks and fallen or rotten logs because adults may shelter there rather than becoming inactive underground.
  • Highest clearing risk: The highest risk is October to May, when calling, egg laying, pouch development and froglet emergence overlap. October to December is the main risk period identified in the supplied material, but sheltering adults and late froglets can remain vulnerable outside the peak.

Identification

The Pouched Frog is a very small, terrestrial myobatrachid. It is most likely to be detected by its call, or by carefully inspecting damp cover in suitable moist forest.

Adults are about 20 mm long. The back is grey, pinkish brown or reddish brown, usually with darker patches on the head and body. The sides are commonly dark grey to black, and a broken dark stripe may run from the nostril through the eye and down each side.

The belly is cream or white, with a brown-mottled throat and a pink spot at the base of each arm. The back and belly are smooth, although the sides can be rough or warty. Fingers and toes are unwebbed and have slightly swollen tips without fringes.

Size: About 20 mm long.

Colour: Grey to pinkish brown or reddish brown, with darker patches and commonly dark sides.

Identification: Diagnostic features

The male has two side pouches, one on each side, where tadpoles are carried after hatching. This feature is the most distinctive field character when the sex and life stage can be confirmed.

The species has a horizontal pupil and a golden iris. It is more likely to crawl than leap, but behaviour alone should not be used for identification.

  • Use the combination of very small size, unwebbed digits, swollen digit tips, dark side markings and the male's paired pouches.
  • Treat small brown frogs found under damp cover as unconfirmed until the full combination of characters is checked.
  • Seek expert confirmation for unusual records or suspected individuals found outside the documented range.

Identification: Call and field signs

Males call from concealed positions in leaf litter, under rocks or beneath logs. The call is a rapidly repeated, soft series of approximately six to ten notes, commonly described as "Eh, eh, eh".

Calling is most vigorous around dawn and dusk. At night, calling frogs may be fully or partly exposed, making nocturnal listening surveys more effective than searches when frogs are silent.

White egg masses may be found on the ground during the breeding season. Tadpole surveys are not suitable because the male carries the tadpoles in his pouches until they emerge as tiny froglets.

Call: Six to ten rapidly repeated notes, described as "Eh, eh, eh".

Egg sign: Small white egg masses on the ground.

  • Listen from late afternoon to about 9 pm during suitable weather, particularly after rain.
  • Search beneath cover only with extreme care, and replace rocks, logs and leaf litter immediately.
  • Do not rely on tracks, scats, sloughs or eyeshine, as these are not described as useful field signs for this species.

Distribution: States and bioregions

The Pouched Frog has a restricted and discontinuous range on the eastern escarpments and uplands of the Great Dividing Range. Records are concentrated in north-eastern New South Wales, with the range extending into far south-eastern Queensland.

In New South Wales, the species is recorded from the New England Tablelands and NSW North Coast regions. Listed areas include the Northeast Forest Lands, Wongwibinda Plateau, Chaelundi, Coffs Coast and Escarpment, Dalmorton and Washpool.

In Queensland, it occurs in south-eastern Queensland, including the Burringbar-Conondale Ranges, Scenic Rim and Woodenbong areas. The Sunshine Coast-Gold Coast Lowlands are listed as predicted habitat rather than known habitat.

  • New South Wales: known and predicted records in the New England Tablelands and NSW North Coast regions.
  • Queensland: known records in south-eastern Queensland, including the Burringbar-Conondale Ranges, Scenic Rim and Woodenbong.
  • The broader range extends from the Conondale and Blackall Ranges south to the Dorrigo Plateau.

Distribution: Strongholds and populations

The species occupies dense but scattered colonies in isolated mesic forest refugia. The documented isolated population areas are the Dorrigo Plateau, Gibraltar Range, Border Ranges and two areas in south-eastern Queensland.

The Commonwealth profile describes the species as occurring at fewer than 10 locations. The supplied sources do not provide a total population estimate, local density, generation length or quantified population trend.

Documented isolated populations: Five: Dorrigo Plateau, Gibraltar Range, Border Ranges and two in south-eastern Queensland.

Commonwealth location estimate: Fewer than 10 locations.

Total population: Not reported in the supplied sources.

Population trend: Not quantified in the supplied sources, although habitat and population declines are identified as concerns.

Habitat: Forest types and climate

Pouched Frogs depend on cool, moist forest with persistent damp ground cover. Suitable habitat can occur away from standing water because breeding takes place on land.

The species occurs in cool, moist rainforest, including Antarctic Beech forest, and in moist eucalypt forest in mountainous areas. It is associated with mesic forest refugia that have mild temperatures and moderate to high rainfall.

Most records are from above 800 m, although the species has been found as low as 300 m. Its restricted, high-moisture niche is likely to be affected by increasing temperatures and drying conditions.

Main habitat: Cool, moist rainforest and moist eucalypt forest in mountainous areas.

Elevation: Mostly above 800 m, with records as low as 300 m.

Moisture setting: Mild temperatures with moderate to high rainfall.

  • Retain cool, moist native forest, including Antarctic Beech forest and moist mountain eucalypt forest.
  • Assess damp forest floor habitat even where there are no ponds, dams or permanent streams.
  • Treat suitable moist forest as potential habitat where survey conditions are poor or the species is difficult to detect.

Habitat: Key ground structure

The forest floor should contain damp leaf litter, fallen timber and rocks that provide concealed, humid shelter. Dense but scattered colonies may occur where these small-scale refuges persist.

The species does not require free water to breed, so clearing assessments should include terrestrial forest floor habitat as well as drainage lines and other wet areas.

  • Map and retain damp leaf litter, rotten logs, rocks and other cover within and around proposed work areas.
  • Avoid unnecessary removal, compaction or drying of the forest floor.
  • Maintain connected moist forest where practicable between known or predicted colonies.

Foraging habitat: Feeding ecology

The available sources provide little information on the Pouched Frog's diet, feeding rate or foraging distance. Field protection should therefore focus on retaining the damp, litter-rich forest floor used for its normal terrestrial activity.

The diet and movement patterns of the Pouched Frog are reported as unknown in the supplied sources. No particular food plant, prey taxon, foraging range or feeding density is documented.

The species spends most of its time in damp leaf litter or under rocks and rotten logs. These areas are the best-supported locations for normal terrestrial activity and should be treated as foraging habitat as well as shelter.

Diet: Not reported in the supplied sources.

Foraging range: Not reported in the supplied sources.

Foraging substrate: Damp leaf litter and cover beneath rocks and rotten logs.

  • Retain damp leaf litter and fallen timber across the work area rather than limiting protection to watercourses.
  • Avoid stripping, burning, stock trampling or prolonged exposure of the forest floor during construction.
  • Do not infer absence from a lack of visible feeding signs, because the species is small, concealed and difficult to detect when it is not calling.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs on the forest floor rather than in free water. Eggs are laid in concealed terrestrial sites, and the male carries the tadpoles until metamorphosis is complete.

Males call from concealed positions under leaf litter, rocks or logs. The female lays eggs on dry land, including beneath rotting logs, rocks or layers of leaves. The supplied sources state that both parents protect the egg nest.

After hatching, the tadpoles enter the male's side pouches and remain there until they metamorphose and emerge as small froglets. This means that breeding habitat includes terrestrial egg sites and the surrounding damp cover, not only aquatic habitat.

Breeding season: Spring and summer; the recommended survey period is October to May.

Egg number: Estimated at 1 to 50 eggs annually per female.

Egg placement: On land, under rotting logs, rocks or leaf layers.

Tadpole development: Tadpoles are carried in the male's side pouches until metamorphosis.

Age at maturity: Females are estimated to begin breeding between 2 and 3 years old.

Incubation or pouch duration: Not reported in the supplied sources.

Lifespan: Not reported in the supplied sources.

  • Search suitable ground cover for small white egg masses during the breeding season.
  • Avoid rolling rocks or logs unless necessary, and replace all cover in its original position.
  • Keep clearing, fire and heavy machinery away from damp litter, rotten logs and rocks in known or potential breeding habitat.

Breeding habitat: Survey and work controls

Call surveys are the principal recommended method because the species is difficult to detect when silent. Survey in suitable habitat and weather, preferably after rain, during the late afternoon to about 9 pm.

A minimum survey design is one 200 m transect repeated on at least two separate nights. During the breeding season, searches for white egg masses can supplement call surveys.

  • Use experienced observers for nocturnal call surveys and record the weather, recent rainfall and survey times.
  • Do not use tadpole trapping or water-body surveys as the primary method for this species.
  • Follow frog hygiene procedures for footwear, equipment and vehicles to reduce the spread of chytrid fungus.

Sheltering habitat: Refuge features

Pouched Frogs shelter in humid ground cover on the rainforest or moist forest floor. The supplied sources do not identify a den, burrow, hollow or refuge size.

The species spends most of its time in damp leaf litter, under rocks and beneath rotten or fallen logs. Males commonly call from these concealed positions.

These features also provide the cover associated with egg laying and should be retained as a linked set rather than treated as isolated objects.

Known refuges: Damp leaf litter, rocks, rotten logs and fallen timber.

Refuge dimensions: Not reported in the supplied sources.

Burrows or hollows: No burrows, tree hollows or other specialised structures are reported.

  • Retain damp leaf litter, rocks, fallen logs and rotten timber in moist forest.
  • Minimise soil compaction, stock access, machinery traffic and unnecessary disturbance of ground cover.
  • Replace any temporarily moved rocks or logs immediately and avoid crushing the underlying litter.

Sheltering habitat: Handling and hygiene

Frogs should be handled as little as possible and kept moist before release. Field staff should not use insect repellent or hand creams before handling frogs.

The NSW frog hygiene protocol should be followed when working in amphibian habitat, including cleaning and disinfecting footwear, equipment and vehicles.

  • Use clean, disinfected equipment between sites.
  • Keep captured animals moist and release them at the point of capture as soon as identification is complete.
  • Use the hygiene protocol to limit transfer of chytrid fungus between populations.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main risks on development sites are loss of moist forest floor habitat, removal of cover, fire, drying, road and clearing disturbance, stock damage and disease transmission.

Timber harvesting and road clearing can remove moist forest, leaf litter, rocks and fallen timber. Fragmentation may isolate the species because its populations are already restricted to scattered mesic forest refugia.

Works should avoid known populations and retain suitable moist forest around mapped records, predicted habitat and potential breeding sites.

  • Do not clear cool, moist native forest where avoidable.
  • Keep road construction, maintenance and laydown areas away from known populations and damp ground cover.
  • Mark exclusion areas around fallen logs, rocks and litter in potential habitat before machinery enters the site.

Threats: Fire, drying and climate

Increased frequency and severity of bushfires are identified as major inferred threats. Fire can remove fallen timber and other microrefugia, while leaf litter dries as temperatures and drought increase.

The species is adapted to a high-altitude, high-moisture microclimate. Climate change and drought may reduce the amount of suitable habitat.

  • Avoid prescribed burning in cool, moist native forest containing suitable habitat.
  • Retain fallen timber and litter after fire wherever safety and site requirements allow.
  • Prevent unnecessary drainage, exposure and drying of damp forest floor habitat.

Threats: Disease, weeds and stock

Chytrid fungus is identified as a threat. Weed invasion can alter productive habitat, and trampling by domestic stock can damage the forest floor and its refuges.

Disturbance controls should apply across the terrestrial habitat because breeding does not depend on ponds or other free water.

  • Apply frog hygiene procedures to staff, footwear, vehicles and equipment.
  • Fence suitable moist forest where stock access would damage litter, rocks or fallen timber.
  • Control weeds without disturbing known egg sites, litter or other ground refuges.

Threats: Detection and construction risk

The species can be very difficult to detect when it is not calling. One-off, low-intensity surveys are generally inadequate for threatened amphibians with patchy distributions and cryptic habits.

Construction may harm animals, eggs or pouch-carrying males even when no frogs are observed during a survey.

  • Use repeated nocturnal call surveys rather than relying on a single daytime inspection.
  • Assume the species may be present where suitable damp forest floor habitat remains and survey conditions are poor.
  • Schedule disturbance outside the October to May breeding period where practicable, while still protecting suitable habitat year round.

Survey methodology: 1. Nocturnal call surveys

Survey this small, cryptic frog in suitable cool, moist forest habitat, especially damp leaf litter and areas beneath rocks and fallen logs. Use repeated night surveys because detection is strongly affected by rainfall, temperature and calling activity.

Undertake nocturnal call surveys in suitable habitat from October to May, with the main calling period in spring and summer.

Survey from late afternoon to about 9 pm, including the higher calling activity commonly reported around dusk, and consider dawn surveys where site access allows.

Use at least one 200 metre transect, repeated on at least two separate nights.

Conduct surveys after rain where practicable, in warm, wet conditions that support frog activity.

Listen for the male advertisement call, a rapidly repeated series of about 6 to 10 ‘eh’ notes. Males call from concealed positions under leaf litter, rocks or logs, although they may be partly or fully exposed at night.

Record the location of each call and avoid assuming that no calls means the species is absent, because calling can stop in unsuitable weather and the species is difficult to detect when silent.

Recommended season: October to May

Minimum transect effort: One 200 metre transect, repeated on at least two separate nights

Preferred survey period: Late afternoon to about 9 pm, with activity often highest around dusk

Call: Usually 6 to 10 rapidly repeated ‘eh’ notes

Survey methodology: 2. Nocturnal habitat searches

Search the rainforest floor and moist eucalypt forest, including damp leaf litter and the areas beneath rocks, fallen logs and other ground cover.

Use a head torch or spotlight and search exposed or active frogs, eyeshine and calling positions during the nocturnal survey.

If rocks or logs are moved to confirm a suspected animal, lift them carefully and replace them immediately to minimise damage to shelter and breeding habitat.

Do not rely on searches near streams, dams or ponds, because this species breeds on land and may occur away from free water.

Typical habitat: Cool, moist rainforest, including Antarctic Beech forest, and moist mountain eucalypt forest

Typical elevation: Mostly above 800 metres, with records as low as 300 metres

Shelter sites: Damp leaf litter, rocks and rotten or fallen logs

Survey methodology: 3. Egg and supplementary searches

During the breeding season, inspect suitable shelter sites for small white egg masses before the hatched young enter the male’s pouches.

Treat egg searches as an additional method to call and nocturnal searches, not as a replacement for them.

A diurnal habitat search may be used as an additional method, but daytime searches are generally less effective because frogs remain concealed.

Do not use tadpole trapping or aquatic tadpole surveys for this species, because the male carries the tadpoles in pouches until they emerge as tiny froglets.

Egg appearance: Small, white and distinctive egg masses

Tadpole survey suitability: Not suitable for Assa darlingtoni

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Visit the site more than once and combine methods where conditions and habitat permit, because threatened amphibians can have patchy distributions, low population sizes and cryptic habits.
  • Do not treat a one-off, low-intensity survey of a small area as evidence that the species is absent where suitable habitat remains.
  • Record all detected animals, calls, egg masses and habitat features, including location, number of individuals, survey dates, start and finish times, transect length and searched area.
  • Record the surveyors’ names, qualifications and experience, the methods used, weather, air temperature, humidity, time since rain, water temperature where relevant, and the condition and extent of suitable habitat.
  • Submit verified records and the final survey results to the relevant state wildlife database, and provide the records to the consent authority and project environmental records system.
  • Follow the applicable state threatened species survey guidance and report any suspected chytrid incident to the relevant state environment agency.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Plan the work around the frog’s restricted distribution and dependence on cool, moist ground cover. The preferred control is to retain suitable forest and its damp microhabitat rather than rely on capture during clearing.

  • Redesign the work area, access routes and ancillary facilities to avoid cool, moist rainforest, Antarctic Beech forest, moist mountain eucalypt forest and known colonies.
  • Retain damp leaf litter, fallen and rotten logs, rocks and other ground cover within and beside retained habitat.
  • Avoid clearing or timber harvesting in known or suitable habitat wherever practicable.
  • Maintain connected areas of moist forest between retained habitat patches, because the species occurs in scattered, isolated populations and connected rainforest habitat supports its protection.
  • Control weeds and prevent stock access to retained moist forest where these activities could damage ground cover or dry the habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: Check approvals and set the work controls

National status: EPBC Act Vulnerable, effective 7 September 2023

Recovery planning: No recovery plan is adopted or required; recovery is guided by Conservation Advice

  • Check whether the proposed action requires assessment or referral under the EPBC Act because Assa darlingtoni is listed as Vulnerable nationally.
  • Check the relevant state threatened species requirements, permits and approvals before any clearing, capture, handling or relocation.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies known and potential habitat, survey results, authorised personnel, clearing limits, stop-work triggers, hygiene controls, handling procedures and reporting requirements.
  • Stage clearing so that retained moist habitat is protected before machinery enters the site, and schedule work outside the October to May calling and breeding period where practicable.

Before habitat disturbance: Prepare the site

  • Complete the targeted pre-clearance survey using the species-specific effort before disturbance begins, particularly where suitable habitat is present.
  • Mark the approved clearing boundary and all retained damp forest, leaf litter, logs, rocks and known or suspected egg sites before machinery mobilisation.
  • Install exclusion fencing or other physical controls where they can prevent machinery, vehicles, workers, stock or spoil from entering retained habitat.
  • Brief the fauna spotter catcher, operators and supervisors on the frog’s small size, concealed shelter sites, call, handling limits and the requirement to stop when the species or an egg mass is found.
  • Clean and disinfect footwear, equipment and vehicles before entering amphibian habitat, and apply the approved frog hygiene protocol throughout the project.

During habitat disturbance: Daily work controls

Use a slow, supervised clearing sequence that protects the damp forest floor. The fauna spotter catcher must work ahead of machinery and must be able to stop the activity immediately when a frog, egg mass or important shelter feature is found.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, clearing limits and retained habitat before work starts each day.
  • Keep machinery, vehicles, spoil, sediment and workers outside marked retained habitat and avoid driving over leaf litter, logs and rocks.
  • Use the fauna spotter catcher to inspect the next work area immediately before disturbance and to maintain communication with the machine operator.
  • Stop work during rain or other conditions if the approved fauna management plan identifies an increased risk of frogs being exposed, displaced or injured.
  • Maintain frog hygiene controls between work areas, equipment and personnel to reduce the spread of chytrid fungus.

During habitat disturbance: Ground features and habitat handling

  • Treat damp leaf litter, rocks, fallen logs and rotten logs as potential shelter or breeding habitat, not as waste material.
  • Do not roll, drag, crush or stockpile rocks and logs in retained habitat or across movement routes.
  • If a feature must be moved under an approved procedure, inspect it first, move it only under fauna spotter catcher direction, and reinstate it promptly in suitable nearby retained moist habitat.
  • Do not create artificial ponds or divert water as a substitute for this species’ ground-based breeding habitat, because it lays eggs on land and the tadpoles develop in the male’s pouches.

During habitat disturbance: If a frog or egg mass is found

  • Stop the activity that could affect the animal or egg mass and establish a small exclusion area until the fauna spotter catcher and project environmental officer assess it.
  • Allow only authorised and trained personnel to handle the frog, and handle it as little as possible.
  • Keep the frog moist during identification and before release, and do not use insect repellent or hand cream before handling it.
  • Follow the approved permit and fauna management plan for release into nearby retained habitat with suitable damp leaf litter, rocks and logs; do not release an animal into disturbed, dry or unsuitable habitat.
  • If an animal is injured, contain it according to the approved wildlife procedure and transfer it promptly to an appropriately qualified wildlife carer or veterinarian.
  • Use clean equipment and follow the frog hygiene protocol before handling another animal or entering another habitat area.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop clearing if a pouched frog, egg mass, suspected breeding site or previously unrecorded colony is found within or immediately beside the work area.
  • Stop work if the clearing boundary, exclusion fencing or hygiene controls fail, or if machinery cannot operate without damaging retained shelter habitat.
  • Record the date, time, exact location, habitat condition, animal or egg-mass details, photographs, action taken, release location, injuries, mortality and the names of all personnel involved.
  • Notify the project environmental officer and the relevant approval authority in accordance with the fauna management plan and approval conditions.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Confirm that clearing has not left frogs, egg masses or damaged shelter features within the work area. Keep retained habitat protected after machinery leaves, because drying, weeds, fire and stock can continue to affect the species.

  • Inspect the cleared area and the edge of retained habitat for frogs, egg masses, damaged logs, displaced rocks and areas where leaf litter or moist ground cover has been removed.
  • Complete additional night checks after rain where the pre-clearance survey, a finding during works or the approval conditions indicate a residual risk.
  • Repair exclusion fencing and reinstate any damaged habitat protection before the next work stage or before the site is left unattended.
  • Remove machinery, spoil, waste and temporary access materials from retained habitat and prevent new vehicle access.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained habitat for frog calls, animals, egg masses, drying of leaf litter, weed invasion, stock access, fire impacts and chytrid hygiene risks.
  • Use the same 200 metre transect and repeat-night approach where follow-up detection is required, so results can be compared with the pre-disturbance survey.
  • Document all monitoring dates, weather, effort, detections, habitat condition, incidents, corrective actions and any changes to the work method.
  • Submit confirmed records and the final fauna report to the relevant state wildlife database and approval authorities.

After habitat disturbance: Ongoing controls and offsets

  • Maintain fencing, signage, access controls and weed and stock controls for as long as specified in the fauna management plan or approval conditions.
  • Protect retained habitat from planned burning, road maintenance, clearing and timber harvesting where these activities could remove damp microrefugia.
  • If an approval requires an offset or compensatory measure, ensure it protects and manages suitable moist forest habitat and ground cover for this species, and monitor delivery against the approved conditions.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore moist forest structure

Rehabilitation should restore the cool, moist forest floor used by the pouched frog. Focus on shade, moisture, native vegetation, connected habitat and stable ground cover rather than creating aquatic breeding habitat.

Target habitat: Cool, moist rainforest, including Antarctic Beech forest, and moist mountain eucalypt forest

Ground features to restore: Damp leaf litter, fallen and rotten logs, rocks and other moist forest-floor cover

  • Regenerate or replant locally appropriate native rainforest and moist eucalypt vegetation to restore shade and a humid ground microclimate.
  • Retain and progressively reinstate native leaf litter, fallen logs, rotten logs and rocks in safe locations within rehabilitated habitat.
  • Connect rehabilitated areas with retained moist forest wherever the project layout allows.
  • Keep rehabilitation areas free of stock, unnecessary vehicle access and activities that compact or dry the forest floor.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and disease management

  • Avoid burning cool, moist native forest and manage fire planning to retain damp ground refuges and fallen timber.
  • Control weeds in known and rehabilitated habitat before they replace native ground cover or alter moisture conditions.
  • Apply the approved frog hygiene protocol to rehabilitation equipment, footwear and vehicles to reduce the spread of chytrid fungus.
  • Prevent stock access to rehabilitated moist forest by maintaining suitable fencing and gates.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Inspect rehabilitation for native vegetation recovery, continuous leaf litter, retained or reinstated logs and rocks, shade, moisture and weed control.
  • Survey rehabilitated habitat during October to May using nocturnal call surveys on at least one 200 metre transect repeated on at least two nights where monitoring is required.
  • Record frog calls, animals, egg masses and habitat condition, noting that failure to detect the species does not prove absence when frogs are not calling.
  • Use the monitoring results to repair drying areas, replace damaged ground cover, control weeds, adjust fire controls and maintain exclusion fencing.
  • Report rehabilitation progress, survey results, incidents and corrective actions through the project’s environmental reporting system and to the relevant state wildlife database.

Sources