Olney State Forest in the Central Coast hinterland is now home to a series of frog ‘hotels’ designed to support threatened frog species, thanks to a partnership between Forestry Corporation of NSW and the University of Newcastle.
New strategically placed artificial ponds form a network of breeding habitat for iconic species such as the Littlejohn’s tree frog and the giant burrowing frog and help increase their population and persistence in the environment.
Forestry Corporation Senior Ecologist Chris Slade said the population response would be monitored over coming years.
“Projects like this take effort from a lot of people from idea to implementation, and this result is a credit to the community, the University of Newcastle, our staff and many others involved,” he said.
Lead researcher, Dr Alex Callen from the University of Newcastle, said the habitats also served to provide climatic refuge for many other forest fauna in the face of shifting climates.
“The race is on to increase the population size of two threatened frog species which were affected by the 2019 Black Summer fires to future-proof them from the incoming El Nino climate shift, which can bring extended periods of hot, dry weather,” he said.
Visitors to Olney State Forest can experience the ponds, hear frog calls and even identify individual species along the new Littlejohn’s walking trail.
Along the trail, people can also see remnants of historical forestry days and an array of beautiful flora and fauna.
The project was supported through the revegetation efforts of volunteers from the Awaba Mountain Bike Club, the Friends of Strickland group and NSW & ACT 4WD association and follows extensive consultation with University of Newcastle, the Central Coast Mountain Bike Club and other forest users.
“The new frog habitat and walking trails are also a reminder many threatened species need our support to recover and thrive,” Forestry Corporation’s Community Partnerships Leader, Jess Brine, said.
“Visitors play an important role in the environmental sustainability of our forests through responsible behaviour such as staying on formed trails, taking only photographs and leaving only footprints behind.
“The way we use the forest is vital to the longevity of these species.”
Source:
Forestry Corporation