A JOINT monitoring program has shown a healthy Booroolong frog (Litoria booroolongensis) population in Essington State Forest near Oberon.
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Forestry Corporation of NSW, Hume Forests, Central Tablelands Local Land Services and the Office of Environment and Heritage are all working together to protect this endangered species in streams running through Oberon plantation forests.
The project is improving the Booroolong frog's habitat through weed and erosion control, and increasing the width of native vegetation buffers on streams.
The Booroolong frog, which is listed as endangered under both NSW and Commonwealth legislation, now occupies less than half of its original range.
It is a medium sized tree frog, with adults growing to about five centimetres. Their body-colour may be grey, olive or brown with indistinct black markings, their abdomen is white and their skin usually has a slightly warty appearance. The fingers and toes have well developed discs, and the toes are strongly webbed.
IN OTHER NEWS AROUND OBERON:
Disease, weeds and land degradation are all leading causes of the frog's shrinking distribution, according to Office of Environment and Heritage senior threatened species officer David Coote.
"In the late 1970s, a disease called Chytridiomycosis caused by the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus wiped out many upland frog populations, including populations of Booroolong frog," Mr Coote said.
"Different land use practices that diverted water, increased erosion and increased weed invasion in Booroolong streams led to local extinctions, so we are very interested in working with land managers to protect and rehabilitate the frog's habitat."
Forestry Corporation staff joined Office of Environment and Heritage and volunteers late last year for a series of nighttime surveys, according to Forestry Corporation's community programs co-ordinator Nikki Bennetts.
"The monitoring program is a great opportunity for Forestry staff to see the impact of the environmental protection measures they employ during harvesting and forest establishment," Ms Bennetts said.
"This will include weed and erosion control and improving native vegetation buffers on streams."
The monitoring took place along a number of one-kilometre creek transects within the Essington State Forest, revealing not only Booroolong frogs, but also a koala and greater glider.
This work is part of a 10-year NSW Government project to conserve the Booroolong frog and several other threatened stream species, funded by the Saving Our Species program through the NSW Environmental Trust.
