2020-02-11 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                     11 FEBRUARY 2020


3.     Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee
Project title –   Protecting Noosa´s Biodiversity through community programs

Brief project overview

1.     Deliver the Find a Frog in February citizen science program in February 2020 across the Noosa Shire.

2.     Conduct surveys along the two long-term frog monitoring transects - 6 Mile Creek and Cooroora
       Creek.

Full project description

Worldwide 1/3 of all species of frogs are listed as under threat of extinction and, in the Mary River and
adjacent coastal catchments, 1/4 are listed as threatened; two having disappeared in the 1970's and 1980's.
As a fauna group frogs are broadly recognised as indicators of environmental health due to their high
sensitivity to chemical components of both water and air and to their heavy reliance on both terrestrial and
aquatic habitats to complete their lifecycle. Locally some species are highly habitat specific in their
requirements (eg stream frogs and wallum dependent frogs) while others currently appear common and
robust.

The MRCCC has been surveying and monitoring frog species in the Mary and coastal areas for around 16
years now, and in recent years we have become concerned about the drastic breeding opportunity for all
local amphibians and what this may mean for both threatened and apparently common species. Under the
current regime of climate change and uncertainty we recognise that it is critical to know where different
species occur and how their populations are faring. The area is large and public participation is one way to
cover ground and to improve the catchment community's awareness and ethic of care. Compared with many
other fauna groups, frogs are relatively easy and inexpensive to observe and they are endearing to a large
proportion of our population.

As an addition to the MRCCC's overall catchment care program that aims to increase the sustainability of
human activity as well as improving the resilience of natural areas, species and processes, we see this
program as a valuable addition to community engagement and increased collective knowledge.

1.     The MRCCC is seeking support for the delivery of the annual Citizen Science Find a Frog in February
       (FFF) program in the Noosa region. Components of the program will include:
       -     Extensive media material disseminated to the whole community
       -     Two public frog workshops
       -     One public frog survey
       -     Noosa-based coastal Bushcare group frog workshop and setup of a long-term frog monitoring
             site on project land (second and third years only)
       -     Facilitation of a school-based educational frog program and setup of a frog monitoring site on
             or near the school grounds (Noosa District High School, Pomona and their outdoor education
             facility at 'Mimburi').
       This catchment wide program provides opportunities to reach many varied sectors of the community
       and provides people from all walks of life an opportunity to contribute to species management through
       increased awareness and submission of their frog observations. In 2020 we will be focusing on the
       habitat requirements of local frogs, how to protect and enhance sites, frogs as indicators of
       environmental health and the encouragement of long-term monitoring at participants' preferred site/s.

       All incoming data is provided to the Queensland Government WildNet database.

2.     The MRCCC seeks to continue the long-term frog monitoring surveys that target threatened stream
       frog species at two sites in the Six Mile Creek sub-catchment. Surveys will occur twice during ideal
       detection conditions to obtain certainty that these indicator species of riparian and environmental
       health are persisting in undisturbed (Six Mile Creek) and disturbed (Cooroora Creek site) habitats.
       Should any changes in species composition or population levels be detected we will be alerted to
       changes in the environment and be able to respond accordingly.



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