Seven Australian frog species are on the brink of extinction and will be wiped out by a killer fungus without immediate action, biologists have warned.
The scientists, from the University of Melbourne, Taronga Zoo, Southern Cross University (Lismore) and James Cook University, said that Australia still had a chance to save the frogs with a relatively small injection of funds for research and disease management.
"With a research and management program of about $15 million over five years, we believe we can save these frogs from extinction," said Lee Skerratt, lead author and principal research fellow at the University of Melbourne.
The frogs at risk are the southern and northern corroboree frogs from Mount Kosciuszko National Park (NSW), the baw baw frog (Victoria), spotted tree frog (Victorian alps), Tasmanian tree frog, Kroombit tinker frog (Queensland) and the armoured mist frog (Queensland).
"The deadly chytrid fungus has already wiped out six frog species since it reached Australia in 1978," said David Newell from Southern Cross University (Lismore). "There are no second chances when you're talking about extinction."
The scientists' study is published on Monday in Wildlife Research.
A spokesman for the Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, directed all enquiries about funding to the federal Threatened Species Commissioner, Gregory Andrews.
Mr Andrews said: "Putting a cost on a program before it has been designed is like asking how long is a piece of string."
However, he said: "I wholeheartedly agree that we need to urgently tackle the chytrid fungus that threatens our frogs."
His office runs a $150,000 program aimed at protecting the southern corroboree frog.
"When we found out there were only four male southern corroboree frogs calling in the wild we moved immediately.
"We built large chytrid-free outdoor enclosures in Kosciuszko National Park. We now have more than 200 in these enclosures, with a goal to have them to at 600 within a year."
Dr Newell said this is good work that needs further support.
However, he says if it wasn't for the active husbandry of southern corroboree frogs in captivity, such as at Taronga Zoo, this emergency measure wouldn't have been possible.
"Our work on the corroboree frog isn't finished. At this stage we don't know how we can release the species back into the wild and survive."
Dr Newell said that there is no concerted monitoring effort or active husbandry program for the six other threatened species. He said that the request for $15 million over five years was a "ballpark figure" based on the expert opinion of the country's best chytrid fungus scientists.
The Southern Cross University scientist said "this isn't a cash grab. It's quite simple: unless we act, they'll be gone".
He said the money was needed in part to "develop captive husbandry techniques" to maintain threatened frog populations in captivity.
"The fungus affects different species differently," he said. "Some species had catastrophic declines and were wiped out. Some were relatively unaffected. Others have been pushed to the brink and subsequently recovered.
"If we can understand recovery in a natural setting, we can use that information to help these threatened species survive. We may be able to develop inoculations."
The study also identifies another 22 frog species that are at a moderate to low risk of extinction from the fungus.
The authors warn: "Procrastination on this issue will likely result in additional extinction of Australia's amphibians in the near future."
The chytrid fungus was likely introduced to Australia in the 1950s via the African clawed frog. These frogs were used in Australia as pregnancy tests – the frogs would ovulate within 12 hours of being injected with urine from a pregnant woman.
Chytridiomycosis is now a notifiable disease after it was identified in dead frogs in Queensland in 1993.
Mr Andrews said that Mr Hunt, through the office of the Threatened Species Commissioner, was committed to tackling chytrid.
"Australia is leading the way to solve this global problem."
Dr Newell said: "Research into chytrid here is valuable for hundreds of species globally. We once led the world, but there is a lot left to do."
