Reintroducing an iconic Canberra species and combatting a global fungal pathogen

Prior to the 1970s, Canberra was home to a very vocal local frog species: the green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea). Its call – which people reported sounding like a motorbike or duck quack – reverberated throughout Canberra’s wetlands, lakes and ponds in an abundant chorus. They were iconic, charismatic, and widespread in the region and southeast Australia.

However, in the 1970s, an amphibian-killing chytrid fungal pathogen arrived in the region and decimated the bell frog population. This fungus was causing devastation around the world and remains a severe and ongoing threat; the bell frog disappeared from over 90% of its former range in NSW (listed as endangered) and became extinct in the ACT in around 1985. Efforts to restore its population largely failed due to chytrid remaining in the environment, with many reintroduced frogs dying before they could reach sexual maturity and breed. The last remaining populations of green and golden bell frog are confined to a few scattered locations along the east coast.

Past research identified that the chytrid fungus was less likely to survive in warm temperatures and slightly elevated salinity, while many frogs can tolerate, and sometimes prefer, these environmental conditions. Research found some hope for these frogs: what if we could exploit this ‘environmental mismatch’ and create refuges that could help restore green and golden bell frog populations? 

Recent studies have shown that simple habitat manipulations, such as increasing water salinity in satellite ponds or adding small structures made of black bricks to create temperature hot spots,  can mitigate the impacts of the deadly chytrid disease in mesocosms. UC researchers from the Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics are now taking these promising laboratory results into the real world, and phase one is now underway with four reintroduction sites in ACT wetlands, thanks to an Australian Research Council Discovery grant and seed funding from the ACT Government to support the research project between 2024 and 2028. 

Phase 1

The restoration of the green and golden bell frog in the Canberra region involves three phases: habitat development, breeding, and reintroduction. Phase one, focusing on habitat development, saw positive impacts on both the environment and the community.

In this phase, researchers and community volunteers collaborated to create suitable habitats across 4 wetlands in the ACT: Banksia street O’Connor, David St Turner, Mawson Ponds and Kambah Pond. This included building salted satellite ponds to reduce infection from the chytrid fungus, and structures designed to provide warmer conditions favourable for the frogs but hostile to the fungus.

“Friends [who live close to two of the pilot sites] have shown a greater interest in the actual wetlands near them and have visited the site to see the project unfold. They have a greater appreciation of and connection to these wetlands. 

Local native revegetation volunteers assisted with some of the pilot site planting and now have a connection with the wildlife that will use the adjacent vegetation (that the volunteers have been planting over last few years). 

Whilst volunteering, many locals stopped to ask what we were doing, showing an interest and in many cases a sense of ownership of the wetlands near where they live.”

Community volunteer 

The environmental impact has been profound, enhancing the biodiversity and resilience of these wetlands. The social aspect has also been notable, as numerous community groups and local volunteers participated in the habitat development. Their involvement fostered a sense of stewardship and connection to the local environment, strengthening community bonds and raising awareness about the importance of amphibian conservation.

What’s next

21 other wetlands across Canberra have been identified for the implementation of the habitats for reintroduction. Community groups are undertaking surveys of the 4 current wetland habitats to gather a baseline for future numbers. 

The successful completion of phase one will set a strong foundation for the next phases of the project. Phase two will focus on breeding the green and golden bell frogs in captivity at UC, including immunizing them against the chytrid fungus. This step is crucial to ensuring the frogs' resistance to the disease before they are released. 

After testing the efficacy of frog immunisation and refuges, for phase 3, UC researchers will be able to identify the best strategy for reintroducing the green and golden bell frog to the ACT. UC researchers hope the iconic call of the green and golden bell frog will be heard again and for generations to come. 

Research team

This project is led by researchers from the University of Canberra’s Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics (CCEG) and Australian National University’s Fenner School of Environment and Society in collaboration with a range of partners.

• Simon Clulow (UC)
• Richard Duncan (UC)
• Ben Scheele (ANU)

Project collaborators:

• ACT Conservation Research, Environment, Planning & Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD), ACT Government. Involved in and critical to all stages of the project, from planning to assessment and future monitoring.
• NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, including the team responsible for the NSW green and golden bell frog SOS program.
• Symbio Wildlife Park, which possesses current infrastructure, capacity and expertise for taking in and managing the captive breeding population of green and golden bell frogs to assist with reintroductions.
• FrogWatch ACT, an established and funded community conservation group with a large network of citizen scientists that partake in annual community frog census surveys across the ACT.
• ACT Waterwatch, a funded community engagement initiative that engages the community in monitoring and caring for ACT catchments and wetlands.

Learn more

Listen to the Green and Golden Bell Frog at Frog ID