In NSW, 20 species, almost one-quarter of the total number of frog species occurring in NSW have been found to be infected with the disease (DEH 2006b). In August 2003, ‘Infection of frogs by amphibian chytrid causing the disease chytridiomycosis‘ was listed as a Key Threatening Process (KTP) under Schedule 3 of the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) (DECC 2003). Comparably, ‘Infection of amphibians with chytrid fungus resulting in chytridiomycosis’ was listed as a KTP under the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in July 2002 (DEH 2002).
This Statement of Intent outlines OEH’s approach to implementing a broad program of actions over the next five years to manage the threat and minimise the spread and impact of chytridiomycosis on the frog species of NSW.
Priority initiatives include:
- actions to address any gaps in knowledge
- promotion of effective hygiene practices to control the spread of the pathogen
- assessment of the risk posed to threatened species and populations of frogs in NSW and management of the threat at key locations
- raising of awareness through training, education and communication
- delivery of a coordinated threat abatement program.
Threat abatement actions contained in this Statement of Intent are consistent with those presented in the ‘National Threat Abatement Plan: Infection of amphibians with chytrid fungus resulting in chytridiomycosis’. OEH initiatives will be developed and implemented in conjunction with the national approach. OEH envisages that this document will provide opportunities to work in partnership with other government agencies, industry, and land managers, and integrate efforts to tackle this threat into the future.
