Hinterland backyard frog calls could help save threatened species
The sound of frogs calling after rain in Sunshine Coast hinterland backyards, gardens and waterways could hold valuable clues to protecting some of Australia’s most threatened wildlife.
Residents across Nambour and the hinterland are being encouraged to become citizen scientists during FrogID Week, from 6 to 15 November, by recording frog calls on a free smartphone app.
The Australian Museum initiative aims to find where frog species are surviving, particularly on private properties, and to monitor changes in their populations.
Australian Museum Lead Scientist Dr Jodi Rowley said the Sunshine Coast hinterland was a particularly important area for frogs, with a large number of species, including many found nowhere else.
Priority threatened species in the broader region include the Pouched Frog, Mountain Frog, Fleay’s Barred Frog and Giant Barred Frog. The region is also associated with two extinct species, the Southern Gastric-brooding Frog and the Southern Day Frog.
“Recordings from local residents are incredibly valuable,” Dr Rowley said. She said recordings from backyards, paddocks or nearby bushland all helped, and that even common backyard frogs gave scientists useful information, although recordings of threatened species were particularly important.
New research involving almost 500,000 FrogID records in NSW found that 86 per cent came from private land, and that 20 of the 24 threatened species examined had been recorded on privately owned properties. One in five Australian frog species is threatened with extinction.
“You don’t need to travel into the wilderness to contribute to scientific discovery,” Dr Rowley said.
Now in its ninth year, FrogID has collected more than 1.5 million records, but recordings cover only about 44 per cent of Australia.
Residents can take part by downloading the free FrogID app, recording frogs wherever they hear them and submitting the calls for identification by Australian Museum experts. An interactive map at frogid.net.au lets people zoom in on recordings around Nambour and surrounding areas.
For more information visit www.frogid.net.au.
Jodi Rowley says recordings from local residents are incredibly valuable. Pic by James Alcock.