Sloane’s Froglet listed as endangered under Federal government legislation

Sloanes Froglet, Crinia sloanei amplexus (Dr David Hunter)

Albury Conservation Company warmly congratulates The Hon Sussan Ley MP (Member for Farrer and Minister for the Environment) for recently amending the list of threatened species and ecological communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999, particularly to include Sloane’s Froglet (Crinia sloanei) – now listed as Endangered.

Since 2006, Albury Conservation Company has been a leading advocate for, and funder of, research and conservation of Sloane’s Froglet in southern NSW – with a particular focus on Thurgoona, the major urban growth area of Albury.

In 2013, Albury Conservation Company convened a Sloane’s Froglet workshop to bring together key stakeholders to discuss what was known about the species, and canvas potential future directions regarding conservation of the species locally.

Also in 2013, Albury Conservation Company funded ($10,000) Alexandra Knight’s PhD (Charles Sturt University) entitled The distribution of Sloane’s Froglet,Crinia sloanei, in southern NSW and northern Victoria. This ground-breaking study found that Thurgoona was one of the few sites in the world where the frog naturally occurred. The study was the catalyst for the establishment of a Sloane’s Froglet Working Group and the development of the Sloane’s Froglet Interim Habitat Guide and Management Recommendations.

In May 2014, under the leadership of Board Director Michael Mulvaney, Albury Conservation Company formally nominated the species for EPBC listing. Whilst our nomination was unsuccessful at the time, it brings us great satisfaction that the species has now been added in such a short time since Sussan Ley MP stepped into the Federal Environment Minister role.

In 2018, Albury Conservation Company began implementing a strategic threatened species monitoring program across the major urban growth area of Albury, targeting Squirrel Gliders as well as woodland birds and other taxa. Now into it’s second year, the program has benefitted greatly through a three-year funding commitment by Albury City Council. The work Albury Conservation Company has done with regard to threatened species monitoring and hollow-bearing tree mapping has resulted in the establishment of mapping overlays within Albury City Council that now provide scientific evidence being considered during the Development Application process.

We are also currently pursuing funding to introduce the ‘Nature Mapr’ citizen science program to Albury, which we regard as being critical to harnessing and fostering the enthusiasm of local residents – including land owners and managers, schools, Landcare and other community groups – to collect, store and share local wildlife data. Nature Mapr originated in the ACT and has proved incredibly successful and valuable in terms of engaging residents, discovering previously un-known species and populations, and providing scientific justification for improved urban planning (e.g. establishment of new nature reserves).

For more information about the amendments to the EPBC Act click here.