Southern Bell Frogs celebrate another successful breeding season

NRM NEWS – MAY 2020 – PARTNER UPDATES

By Alex Pike                   
DPIE Community Engagement and Communications Officer, P: 02 6229 7186  | E: alex.pike@environment.nsw.gov.au

Good news has come from the Mid Murray, Lower Darling and Lower Murrumbidgee regions with hopping young southern bell frogs emerging from the water after a successful breeding season at a number of sites. This is largely thanks to the targeted delivery of water to key wetlands over spring and summer, which encourages breeding and helps the frogs survive tough dry periods.

Relatively small volumes of water are required to maintain these wetlands, and well-timed delivery can create a positive ripple-effect for threatened aquatic species, including the southern bell frog.

Monitoring shows that water for the environment has consistently produced breeding outcomes for southern bell frog at over 80% of these wetlands, helped bell frogs begin to colonise new sites, and even supported them at a wetland where they had not been detected since 2012.

It’s great to see such tangible results from a collaborative project between the Saving our Species program, Environmental Water and Floodplains Team and our many dedicated local landholders.

The Saving our Species Southern Bell Frog project focuses on the monitoring of over 40 sites across southern NSW.

Running out of things to do while in ISO? You can download and print the Southern Bell Frog Story colouring book for free by following this link. We also have an educational resource available for years 3-6 (although grown-ups might learn a thing or two from it as well).

Top photo: Southern Bell Frog, Helen Waudby; Bottom photo: Front cover of the Southern Bell Frog colouring book, Helen Waudby and Paula Peeters.