Goulburn Broken CMA project officer Janice Mentiplay-Smith said at only about two centimetres, the Sloane’s froglet was one of the Goulburn Broken catchment’s smallest amphibians.
“Unfortunately, the Sloane’s froglet holds the unenviable position of being listed as endangered in Victoria and endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, which is the Australian Government's central piece of environmental legislation,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.
“Currently in Australia, there are more than 1700 ecological communities and species known to be threatened and at risk of extinction, including the little Sloane’s froglet.”
Ms Mentiplay-Smith said known Sloane’s froglet populations were small, scattered throughout Victoria and NSW, and in decline.
In the Goulburn Broken catchment they are associated with the endangered grey box grassy woodlands and derived native grasslands.
“It’s easy to see how so many native animals and birds become caught in a cycle of decline; if the habitat they depend upon becomes endangered, then it is only a matter of time before they too join the ‘endangered club’,” she said.
“The Sloane’s froglet typically occupies areas of grassland and woodland that are periodically inundated.
“Gilgais, which are shallow depressions in clay soils that temporarily collect water, are features of grey box grassy woodland ecosystems and vital to Sloane’s froglet survival.”
As well as the loss, decline and degradation of gilgais and its associated habitat, other threats to the Sloane’s froglet include invasive species such as foxes and cats, disease such as the devastating chytrid fungus, herbicides and pesticides in the environment, altered fire regimes that damage or destroy habitat, changes in water use and water flows, and the broader effects of climate change.
“The recent flood events may not be particularly helpful to the Sloane’s froglet, as it requires temporary, intermittent water, not continuous inundation,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.
“As it is a terrestrial frog — not a climber or a burrower — during times of flood it will search for high ground or floating debris and vegetation to cling on to, which places it at risk of predation.
“There’s not a great deal of ‘good news’ when it comes to the Sloane’s froglet, but if we can work towards improving the environment by beginning in our own backyards and properties — reducing or eliminating chemical use, controlling cats and other predators, being mindful of biosecurity so we don’t transfer disease and retaining fallen timber as habitat — then the little Sloane’s froglet and other frogs may have a fighting chance.”
The frog of the month is part of the Goulburn Broken CMA’s 2022 Year of the Frog community awareness campaign.
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