The tiny wallum froglet is barely bigger than a fingernail, but its importance in gauging the health of fragile coastal ecosystems is enormous.
Intrepid students at Blacksmiths Public School are joining forces with Lake Macquarie City Council to help conserve the diminutive amphibian, planting dozens of native plant species to aid its local survival.
Landcare Support Officer Wendy Gleen said wallum froglets were unusual due to their tendency to inhabit acidic coastal swamps - an environment too harsh for many other frog species.
"Records of wallum froglets indicate to us the kind of surrounding environment, and conversely, their disappearance is a key clue that something significant has changed in the ecosystem," Ms Gleen said.
"It is particularly interesting for Blacksmiths Public School, because the site borders those acidic coastal swamps."
Records dating back to the 1990s exist of the froglet's signature high-pitched 'beep-beep-beep' call being heard in the Blacksmiths area.
Ms Gleen said their presence prompted Council's Landcare office to partner with the school, with a goal of increasing its frog-friendly habitat.
"Blacksmiths Public School has been a leading example of environmentally friendly practices and sustainability in our community, and this is another feather in its cap," she said.
"One of the identified key threats to the wallum froglet is habitat loss and weed invasion, so the students' work directly addresses this."
"But it's not just about putting plants in the ground. It's about helping students understand the delicate wallum habitat they live in, species like the wallum froglet that depend on it and how they can help protect and record them."
"Those records can add to much larger citizen science projects monitoring the health of native flora and fauna right across Australia."
Blacksmiths Public School Principal Liam Sumbak said environmental stewardship was "just part of who we are".
"We've always made sustainability a big focus, and it's great to see our students leading the way, especially with our environmental leadership team," he said.
"We're proud to be seen as leaders in our community for these efforts, and even prouder of the positive attitude our students bring to caring for the local environment."
Ms Gleen said that anyone could contribute to local frog records using the FrogID app.
