Estimating the proportion of Archey’s frogs in the Wharekirauponga mine vibration footprint 5 a) b) Figures 4 a & b. Mosaic plots showing the numbers (a) and density (b) of Archey’s frog records in habitats with different combinations of NZ LRI vegetation type and altitude band. Densities are calculated using habitat areas within the 578 km2 habitat block with records of Archey’s frog sightings (Table 1 and Figure 10). The area of boxes in the plots are proportional to values in each combination of vegetation type and elevation band, with box height proportional to the value for the vegetation type and box width proportional to the value for the elevation band. Using Nocturnal Surveys Along Transects to Investigate the Species’ Range During March 2022, to resolve whether the 20 km gap (Figure 1) in Archey’s frog records along the Coromandel’s axial mountains was because of the absence of frogs or lack of search effort, OceanaGold commissioned nocturnal surveys along transects throughout areas of potentially suitable habitat without Archey’s frog records. Transects were either along existing tracks or, in areas with safe terrain, off-track. Surveys were undertaken on nights when conditions were suitable for Archey’s frog activity on the surface: warm (>10⁰C), moist (RH >90%) and calm. Transect tracks and frog locations were recorded on handheld gps units. At each location where frogs were found, a brief description of the habitat was recorded. Figure 5. Nocturnal transect surveys during March 2022.
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