The rare frogs of Guanaba

Tamborine Mountain’s Guanaba area is home to an amazing array of frogs. Some species are under threat and all species are in need of protection from out-of-place developments.

Often, frogs can be forgotten about in the discussion on species protection. Most people don’t realise that the beautiful cacophony of noise in the evening and into the night (or symphony depending on your point of view) is the sound of any number of frog species playing a vital role in our local ecology.

If frogs were to disappear, the silence would be overwhelming.

Frogs needing protection

The 500 acres in Guanaba, under threat from an out-of-place development, is home to an array of frog species, 3 of which are recognised under the Queensland Government’s Nature Conservation Act (NCA) as endangered, threatened or vulnerable.

The same species are also recognised on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The species under threat from the development are:

1. Tusked Frog (Adelotus brevis): Vulnerable under the NCA. Near threatened under the IUCN Red List. Likes vegetation in rainforest waterways and wet sclerophyll areas. Population = decreasing.