Ginninderra Catchment Group will use the ACTHA grant to purchase “Frogwatch Tadpole Kits” from Canberra Exotic Pets, and make them available for loan to local primary schools. This will offer school groups the opportunity to have live tadpoles in their classroom, and enable students to watch the magic of metamorphosis, and thus enhance the students’ learning experience and appreciation of amphibians and the wider natural world. In this way, students will increase their understanding and awareness of our local fauna and will appreciate the importance of protecting our local ecosystems. The kit will include detailed instructions about caring for the tadpoles and adult frogs and it will be made very clear to schools that the tadpoles or adult frogs must not be released into the wild.

Ginninderra Catchment Group will use the ACTHA grant to purchase “Frogwatch Tadpole Kits” from Canberra Exotic Pets, and make them available for loan to local primary schools. This will offer school groups the opportunity to have live tadpoles in their classroom, and enable students to watch the magic of metamorphosis, and thus enhance the students’ learning experience and appreciation of amphibians and the wider natural world. In this way, students will increase their understanding and awareness of our local fauna and will appreciate the importance of protecting our local ecosystems. The kit will include detailed instructions about caring for the tadpoles and adult frogs and it will be made very clear to schools that the tadpoles or adult frogs must not be released into the wild. 

Renee’s project will explore the diversity of the Uperoleia genus of myobatrachid frogs by examining molecular phylogenetics and cryptic species. Renee will use molecular techniques on 1000 specimens to identify any cryptic lineages that may represent new species. Once that is completed Renee will complete a taxonomic revision of the genus based on the resulting phylogeny and morphological and calling characteristics. Understanding and documenting species diversity in this genus will assist conservation management of all species within the genus. ACTHA’s grant will go towards funding the molecular lab-work associated with the project.

Grant funds allocated to this project will be used to update and reprint a booklet developed by ACT Frogwatch in 2006 titled Creating a Frog Friendly Habitat in your backyard, school ground or rural property a resource for communities in the ACT and region.

The direct outcome of the project is to educate the community about creating frog friendly habitat and thus provide new and/or enhanced habitat areas for frogs in the region. The engagement of the community would provide broader awareness and involvement in catchment health and biodiversity issues in the ACT region and hopefully lead to further participation in the ACT Frogwatch Census. 

Renee continued her work examining the Myobatrachid genus in 2010 with continued support from ACTHA.

Renee’s project centres around understanding the tremendous diversity in Australia s largest genus of Myobatrachid frogs Uperoleia. The genus is currently divided into 26 described species, which range from Vic to QLD, and across northern Australia to Carnarvon in WA. The descriptions of species have been based on very subtle morphological and call differences, and locality, but many of the species are poorly known and have only a few specimens. Renee hopes to generate a substantial molecular data set for all species within Uperoleia in order to define species limits, identify cryptic lineages that may represent new species, and better describe the true distributions for each species.

One objective of this study is to model probable distributions under both current and future climate scenarios. This will focus specifically on species whose primary distribution is in reserve systems or other protected areas. The intent is to identify areas where the undisturbed habitat of the reserve currently appears essential to the persistence of the species, but that are at risk of being displaced under future climate models. This information can be used for the development of future reserve systems to ensure the preservation of species through an ability to migrate in response to climatic events.

Deb’s project aims to compare the relative tolerance of salinity of three species of freshwater turtle in the Lower Murray River (the Broad-shelled Turtle, the Murray River Turtle and the Eastern Long-necked Turtle). This will lead to a better understanding of the turtles’ responses to the recent dramatic increase of salinity in the Murray-Darling system and will make it possible to predict and respond to changes brought about by increasing salinity. ACTHA’s grant will go towards the cost of laboratory equipment associated with the turtle collection.

Mitzy is interested in the evolution of herpetofauna in the Pilbara region of far north WA, and she is particularly working on the molecular phylogeography of endemic arid-zone geckos. The Pilbara region is significant both in terms of its highly endemic fauna and flora, and also for the extreme economic and mining interest in the area. An understanding of the distribution of genetic diversity is extremely important both in terms of conservation and management of endemic species and also for answering broad-scale biogeographic questions and understanding the role that geology and geological processes play in the evolution of biota. ACTHA’s grant will help cover the costs of the expensive lab-work associated with the genetic side of Mitzy’s project.