Projects

Monitoring of the nationally threatened Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush Bay, New South Wales.

Aaron Organ (project manager) and our team of zoologists and technical officers are currently undertaking detailed population and habitat monitoring of the nationally threatened Green and Golden Bell Frog (GGBF) Litoria aurea at the Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush Bay, New South Wales. The primarily objective of the monitoring is to assess the status of the population over several years, provide advice to Sydney Olympic Park Authority in relation to the appropriate management of the frog and its habitat, and to fulfil regulatory monitoring and reporting requirements.

To achieve these aims, Ecology & Heritage Partners Pty. Ltd. has been engaged to undertake the following:

To develop and implement a monitoring program for the Green and Golden Bell Frog population at Sydney Olympic Park;
To coordinate auditory surveys conducted by the Frog and Tadpole Study Group of N.S.W. (FATS), in conjunction with the FATS team leader;
To produce an annual report that fulfils Sydney Olympic Park Authorities reporting requirements to the Department for Environment and Water Resources; and,
To provide expert and timely advice on the conservation and management of the GGBF at Sydney Olympic Park when requested by SOPA.

The monitoring involves several contemporary frog survey methods including visual encounter surveys (spotlighting), auditory surveys, and tadpole surveys using both dip netting and innovative tadpole traps. The team are also conducting detailed mark-recapture surveys (demographic study) using small microchips otherwise known as Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT tags). The purpose of this is to monitor trends in the population, to determine metamorph survivorship, and to obtain an insight into the movement and dispersal patterns across the site.

Green and Golden Bell Frog − Litoria aurea (Aaron Organ)
Copyright Ecology & Heritage Partners Pty. Ltd.