Pugh’s Frog (Philoria pughi) has recently been uplisted to nationally Endangered, with logging identified as a threat, leading the North East Forest Alliance to call upon the NSW and federal environment ministers to immediately change the logging rules to protect its habitat from logging.
NEFA says Pugh’s Frog is a species which digs nests in soaks and seepages in the headwaters of streams on the Gibraltar Range and Timbarra Plateau, where they live a sedentary life, mostly within a hundred metres of their nests.
‘The Philoria genus traces its lineage back over 50 million years to the Gondwana super continent, though a few million years ago they became increasingly marooned on isolated mountain tops, where they evolved into distinct species,’ said NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh.
‘Due to climate change they are increasingly being restricted to higher altitudes, where the drought and fires of 2019 took a heavy toll. Pugh’s Frog was one of the worst affected species, with 85 per cent of its habitat burnt, eliminating some populations and reducing many others to just one or two calling males.’
Extinction risk
‘Pugh’s Frog was named in 2004 in recognition of my contributions to the protection of the habitat of the species,’ said Mr Pugh.
‘After millions of years of existence, Pugh’s Frog has now been identified at risk of extinction within 50 years. Unless urgent action is taken my namesake could be extinct in my children’s lifetimes.
‘Logging is currently underway in habitat of Pugh’s Frog in Gibraltar Range and Ewingar State Forests under grossly inadequate logging rules developed 27 years ago. Since then logging intensity has increased, exclusions around streams reduced, and populations have declined.
‘The NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee Advice is “Timber harvesting directly impacts the species habitat and affects ecological and biological processes; and could lead to both direct and indirect impacts on Philoria pughi”.
‘Aside from direct killing of frogs, logging their habitat will dry their soaks and seepages by opening the canopy and creating thirsty regrowth, thereby affecting their nesting ability and making their refuges more fire prone,’ said Dailan Pugh.
‘As they are responsible for approving the logging rules, it would be negligent for the Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and the NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe to not improve protection for Pugh’s Frog in response to its uplisting to nationally Endangered.
‘The survival of Pugh’s Frog depends on protecting its moist refugia,’ said Mr Pugh. ‘If there is any intent to stop Pugh’s Frog becoming extinct it is essential that logging now be excluded from the catchments above their nesting areas.’
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