So Lerny, thanks for meeting me.
>> Yeah, sure. >> I'm working for
the alternative which is the alternative website.
I don't know if you're aware of it.
>> I'm aware of it but yeah.
>> That's good.
And we're writing number of articles about the property development on
the Newstown marshes.
>> You have to speak up, Margaret, because of the development that's going
on in the background, [LAUGH] difficult to hear.
>> It is fairly noisy, isn't it?
>> Very noisy. >> [LAUGH]
>> Yes.
Now, you're a part of Newstown Conservation Society?
>> That's right.
>> And I understand you've been doing an audit of numbers of the Auburn tree frog.
Can I just start off by asking you what your qualifications are?
>> I did my PhD in Biology at Melbourne University and
really have just continued on with my research programs from there.
>> And what was your topic?
Well, it was the monitoring of the endangered species of frogs but
actually that was specific to the Southeastern region of Victoria.
>> Right. >> And
this is the Northeastern we're looking at now.
>> And what's the methodology for disordered frogs?
>> It's a methodology that's use pretty much worldwide.
We are using students as volunteers along with supervised volunteer programs.
And we issue them all with written material that they have
to enter their written information on.
And that includes monitoring the habitat, the species of plants
that are present and they're all issued with recording devices.
And it's a system that's been used for quite some time but you record
the sounds of the frogs, because all frogs have very different sounds.
And we then send this off to the CSRIO at the species of Australia and
they're able to delineate between the different species because they do
have a very, very specific language.
And while the average person may not be able to sort of determine one species from
the other, to the trained ear, it's very clear.
>> And who's your contact at the CSIRO?
>> Dr. Pierre Simpson.
>> And he'd be happy to talk to me about this, too, I assume?
>> He'll be very happy to speak to you.
>> Okay, I might get his contact number from you, if you've got it.
Now what are the findings of this sort of thing?
>> Well, tragically, look,
I'd like to preface this first with saying that since 1980,
we have lost up to 200 species of frogs in Australia.
>> That's Australia-wide?
>> That's Australia-wide.
It's an alarming amount given that the natural extinction rate for
frogs is one every 500 years.
So we are really reaching very critical sort of levels of extinction rate.
And sadly, the Auburn frog has now become one of these endangered species.
We started ten years ago and we had 800 recordings of the urban frog.
>> And would that the 800 individual frogs or 800-
>> 800 individual frogs and
we're now down to 80.
>> 80 frogs, and that's over, what period, sorry?
>> Ten years.
>> Right.
>> And now when you say recording an individual frog,
how do you know that if you hear one in one place,
that it's not the same one that you hear- >> [CROSSTALK] We do it over a very
specific time period and you record through the night and through the day,
through the night is for a weekend.
And you're able to sort of get a general idea of the population.
>> So does this mean that you can say that there are 80 frogs left in the Newstown
marshes at the moment, is that what it equates to?
>> It may be 85, it may be less, it may be certainly more, but
a ballpark is about 80.
So we're under 100 which is very, very critical.
>> Right.
>> The other issue I'd like to point out about the Auburn tree frog that
is of incredible interest and value for this frog, this is the only species of
frog that's able to limit its gastric juices while it's bearing its young.