Conservation of the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog: what contribution has ecological research made since 1996?

Abstract

The status and conservation requirements of the Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea were the focus of immense scrutiny 12 years ago. In this paper I review what progress has occurred since then in understanding the ecology of this species because ecological research is of fundamental importance to the recovery of threatened species. Field surveys and collation of unpublished information have led to a very detailed understanding of the distribution of this species, including recognition that some populations have become extinct since 1996. Population studies involving the permanent tagging of individuals have revealed substantial variation in the size of populations but further research is needed to relate population size to viability.Two major threatening processes (habitat loss and predation by exotic fish) were implicated in 1996 in the decline of the Green and Golden Bell Frog, though others were acknowledged. Provision of breeding habitat has been a key element of bell frog management since then ...