Managing pond-breeding anurans in the selectively harvested forests of coastal New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

Protective prescriptions are used to protect populations of anurans from the impacts of logging present in areas of eucalypt forestry operations in coastal New South Wales, retaining areas of undisturbed habitat known or perceived to be of importance to their survival. Current evidence indicates that the protective buffer zones applied around bodies of water are likely to provide significant protection to breeding individuals and the aquatic breeding environments. Studies of the activity patterns of anurans, however, suggest that non-breeding individuals often use forest areas falling outside of these buffers. The habitats used when not breeding are afforded some protection through the retention of habitat trees, identified suitable habitat areas and movement corridors, but significant areas can still be disturbed, and often severely, by logging machinery. Australian anuran populations appear to generally be robust to the effects of logging, with only habitat specialists showing obvious declines. I postulate that anurans in this region are pre-adapted to coping with the changes produced by selective logging because they have evolved in a highly changeable environment. Current forestry practices are unlikely to have significant long-term negative effects if current protective measures are retained to protect identified sensitive habitats. If more intensive logging is adopted, it should be the subject of a well planned adaptive monitoring program.