Habitat use and occupancy patterns of the endangered green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) – implications for conservation management

Successful management of threatened species requires an understanding of how they use their habitat and respond to management intervention. For this thesis, I investigated the habitat features driving the distribution of the threatened green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) toward industrial landscapes, and constructed an experimental trial habitat to compare habitat use patterns and determine whether the constructed habitat would support its growth, survival, and persistence. A detectability study was also conducted to determine detection probabilities among various habitat types. The results revealed the most important landscape feature was the number of permanent waterbodies within a kilometre distance which determined L. aurea occupancy, colonization, and breeding. The most utilized habitat for all demographic groups was aquatic vegetation while the least utilized was open water. Moreover, accounting for detection probabilities altered the outcomes of nearly all habitat variables, and incorporating them is essential to avoid wrong conclusions. Lastly, the constructed habitat provided L. aurea with sufficient resources to grow, survive, and persist for three years. Implications for future conservation management is that a landscape level approach is required to successfully manage this species. Although a relatively small animal, L. aurea disperse large distances to waterbodies. While it has been recognized as a colonizing species, this aspect of its life history has been underestimated and largely ignored. The creation of permanent waterbodies is necessary in areas with little interconnectivity, many ephemeral ponds, or where droughts are common. A greater proportion of aquatic vegetation should also be the focus of future L. aurea management. Furthermore, large release numbers are necessary to combat its high mortality rates and as buffer against predation and disease. The findings of this thesis also demonstrate that experimental trials prior to implementation of large scale initiatives are highly valuable for informing future habitat management decisions.