The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions has released into the wild dozens of the critically-endangered white-bellied frog.
The latest release – at a creek near Boranup Downs – takes the total number reintroduced to more than 1,250.
The tiny frog only grows up to 24 millimetres and is found in an area spanning about 130 square kilometres between Karridale and Witchcliffe.
The Department collected egg nests from the wild and gave them to the Perth Zoo to rear them in a protected environment.
In a statement, the Department said the program not only helped increase the numbers of white-bellied frog, but two other vulnerable species — the orange-bellied frog and the sunset frog.
“Vital habitat in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park was threatened by a bushfire last year, but crews managed to protect the area, following prescribed burns,” the Department said.
Minister for the Environment, Reece Whitby said protecting threatened species like the white-bellied frog was crucial to preserving the State’s unique biodiversity.
“The white-bellied frog is confined to only a few locations in a very small pocket of the South-West, so it is critical we do what we can to protect its habitat and increase the size of its population,” Mr Whitby said.
“This is a great example of a positive conservation outcome from working together,” he said.
