^{Image by ©Oscar Thomas}

Disease management

The Department of Conservation and frog researchers work hard to reduce the threat of infection by chytrid fungus. Strict biosecurity rules aim to prevent the spread of chytrid fungus and frog populations are regularly monitored for infection. All people visiting areas with frog populations adhere to strict hygiene protocols including not taking packs, bags or gaiters into frog areas, and treating clothing, footwear and research equipment with a biocide known to kill the fungus.

Control of predators

The Department of Conservation runs a predator control programme to protect the Archey’s frog population at Whareorino incorporating both aerial and ground based rat control. Archey’s frog populations within the treatment area are increasing; adult frogs show increased survival and breeding success. Other populations benefit from landscape scale predator control aimed at other species, often birds. Hochstetter’s populations in the predator-free ecosanctuary at Maungatautari are recovering rapidly.

^{Image by ©Oscar Thomas}

^{Image by Department of Conservation}

Population monitoring

Across New Zealand ‘capture-recapture’ studies allow conservationists and scientists to understand trends in native frog populations and their response to conservation interventions including translocation and pest control. Dr Ben Bell and his colleagues from the University of Victoria started long-term population monitoring for Hamilton’s frog on Maud Island in 1976 and Archey’s frog in the Coromandel in 1982. These ongoing studies have revealed important insights into population trends and the life cycles of our native frogs. Native frogs can take up to 7 years to reach breeding maturity and live up to 45 years!

Holly the Frog Dog

Holly has been trained to detect native frogs to aid in their conservation. She is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever specialising in sniffing out New Zealand native frogs. She started her frog detection training in 2019 and is only one of a few dogs in the entire world to learn how to find frogs by scent! The other frog dogs work overseas as a part of the Amphibian Research K9 team in the United States and at Zoos Victoria in Melbourne. Holly has her own page here where you can learn more about her and what she is up to.

^{Image supplied by UoO Guy Fredrick}

How you can help with the conservation of New Zealand native frogs

If you find a frog that fits the description of a native frog (head to our resources page for identification guides), it is important that you do not capture or handle the frog. Take a photograph or make notes about its appearance, its habitat and location. Report your findings to the nearest office of the Department of Conservation as soon as possible or send in a report to NZFrogs. You can contact the NZFrogs team using enquiries@nzfrogs.org

Remember, all native frogs are protected by the New Zealand Wildlife Management Act.  This means it is illegal to collect any native frog from the wild without a permit from the Department of Conservation (see Frogs and the Law on our resources page).

Global Amphibian Decline

The issue of declining frog populations was first highlighted in 1989 when a group of over 1400 from 60 countries throughout the world, descended upon the town of Canterbury in the UK for the First World Congress of Herpetology. It was at this meeting that a disturbing number of researchers reported apparent declines in their study populations and of growing concern were the reports of declining populations from seemingly pristine habitats. We are now nearly 40 years down the line, with over 250 publications being produced relating to global amphibian declines and as yet we are not much further ahead in identifying the cause. Throughout the World over 200 amphibian species have experienced recent population declines, with reports of at least 32 species extinctions.

The possible causes of amphibian declines can be grouped into seven broad categories. Habitat Destruction, Pollution, Climate Change, UV Radiation, Predators and Disease, Over Exploitation and The Pet Trade. All of which are interrelated and it is likely a complex web of stresses may be causing the demise of many populations.

FUN FACT: the metaphor that frogs are like canaries in a coal mine is often used to highlight that amphibians can be helpful bioindicators to understand the health of an ecosystem!