How does fossicking impact the endangered booroolong frog?

A fossicking ban in the New England town of Nundle has been recently repealed, following outcry from concerned locals and businesses. Last month, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, together with other agencies including Local Land Services and the New South Wales Resources Regulator, undertook a review of fossicking in the region and identified several areas of Crown Land that was considered environmentally sensitive habitat.

A spokesperson for the Crown lands in the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure says there has been an increase in damage from fossicking and mining activities that has impacted the natural values of the area in recent years. Following this review, fossicking permits for Crown reserves between Nundle and Bowling Alley Point in the Upper Peel River would no longer be issued.

Of particular note was the endangered Booroolong frog, a species which is impacted by activities such as fossicking, which can disturb riverbank soil and vegetation.

Dr. Sophie Collins from the University of New England is familiar with the frog species, having completed her PhD on a range of frog populations across the New England region. She says that the main threat the Booroolong frog is facing right now is the amphibian chytrid fungus, which dwells in waterways and infects the skin of frogs.

“It’s quite a nasty fungus. It infects the skin, and frogs spend a lot of time in water, spend a lot of time absorbing things through their skin. So they absorb water through their skin, oxygen through their skin, salts and things like that. And so it prevents the regulation of water, salts and things like that, and eventually it leads to organ failure.”

“Some frogs can survive it. They can shed them, but the most dangerous part about this sort of fungus is that they’ve got motile zoospores, so the little things that go into the water to infect others. They’ve got little tails on them and they can swim. So if you’ve got one frog in there that’s infected, it can spread it to other frogs that are in the water.”

A popular spot for hobbyists, many businesses in the town of Nundle rely on tourism income from fossickers hoping to find treasure in the region. Geologist Dr. Rodney Burrell says that Nundle is not the only town feeling the impacts of fossicking bans.

“The bans that we’re starting to see on fossicking areas is not exclusive to Nundle. We’re starting to see the New South Wales government ban fossicking in areas like Oberon. And there’s also other government departments that are doing those bans, such as the Forestry Corporation. And certainly the endangered frog, we are seeing that as one of the reasons for closing fossicking along New South Wales. There’s a place called Native Dog Creek in Oberon, and that’s been closed for some years due to the booroolong frog.”

While one concern raised by the review was the impacts of mining activity, Dr. Burrell stresses that fossicking as a hobby solely relies on hand tools only.

“You know, fossicking very much is hand tools. It’s very much a hobby. Where you start looking for profit and you’re using mechanised equipment, that’s where you get into the realm of mining. So let’s be very clear, fossicking very much hand tools, so gold pans, sieves, shovels. So I guess you can kind of imagine what sort of damage, you know, in a day are you likely to do. There is also limits on how much material you are allowed to collect in terms of, you know, so many grams of sapphires, you know, so much weight of gold per day. So it’s not like I think that you can do a lot of damage.”

Following community concerns regarding the impacts of the ban, State Member for Tamworth, Kevin Anderson, who is also Shadow Minister for Tourism, petitioned Minister for Lands and Property, Steve Kamper, to reverse what Mr. Anderson called an absurd decision.

A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure says that after listening to community concerns The Minister for Lands and Property, Steve Kamper, requested a brief from Crown Lands on fossicking on Crown Land in the Nundle region. Following this request, Crown Lands developed an approach to implement the New South Wales Resources Regulator’s fossicking Gguidelines for the areas that Crown Lands directly manages on the Upper Peel River.

The spokesperson says that this approach will allow fossicking to continue while taking into consideration any potential impacts on endangered species, including the booroolong frog.

Dr. Collins believes that fossicking, if done sustainably, should have minimal impact on the frogs.

“Mostly, I feel as long as the fossickers are being mindful of their impact on the river system and the impact that they could be having on the frogs, and we’re keeping those numbers of fossickers in the area relatively low, it should be okay.”

“Things that a fossicker could be mindful of would be making sure that they clean their gear, their boots, their clothing in between sites or in between visits as well. So making sure that there’s no possibility of those zoospores that I mentioned traveling between fossicking places. Other things, making sure that the amount of sedimentation that they’re putting back into the river remains low, and preserving that vegetation as well.”

Dr. Berrell says that the goal should be sustainable fossicking, allowing hobbyists to continue to interact with and engage with the natural world.

“You know, fossicking is a hobby. Quite often it leads into people becoming geologists as careers. We have certainly seen a steep decline, you know, in some areas over 50 percent of people enrolling into STEM based careers. I guess there’s a very famous quote from David Attenborough that said, ‘under today’s fossil collecting laws, I would never have gotten to being a naturalist.’ Because those rules probably prohibit them from collecting fossils.”

“So, I guess the thing is, we just need to be careful. It does very much should be a measured approach. And it’s not one shoe fits all. For people that do enjoy fossicking, make sure they follow sustainable practices. The biggest worry is, you know, in the future, can you imagine us all living in these mega city high rises, and there’s no connection to nature or being able to get outdoors? So fossicking isn’t just about, ‘Oh, I’m going to go find, you know, a 10 gram nugget or a handful of sapphires and zircons.’ It’s about being connected, and connected to the natural world.”

While fossicking is now once again allowed in the Nundle region, the act is regulated under the Mining Act of 1992, with breaches regulated by the New South Wales Resources Regulator.

Individuals wishing to engage in fossicking activities must apply for and be granted a fossicking permit, which come with several conditions, including stipulations that fossicking be undertaken in accordance with the Resources Regulator’s Guides, which can be found online as A Guide to Fossicking in New South Wales.

The public is encouraged to report illegal fossicking activity by calling the NSW Resources Regulator, which under the Mining Act can enforce penalties, including on the spot fines of up to $2, 500.

Thanks to Dr Rodney Berrell and Dr Sophie Collins for sharing their thoughts. You can listen to the full interview with Dr Berrell here, and the full interview with Dr Collins here.

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