'It's devastating. It's tearing the place apart.'

Forget feral cats, says Graeme Sawyer; cane toads are threatening to destroy Northern Territory wildlife and its ecology.

Mr Sawyer is a member of Frogwatch, a group of researchers, conservationists and volunteers who work to stop the spread of cane toads across the region.

He suggests cane toads have brought some native species to the point of localised extinction in the Top End, but of most concern is how little is known about the broader damage they might be causing.

'One of the saddest things is that we don't know the full extent of the impact yet,' said Mr Sawyer.

As Frogwatch's contracted $200,000 of government funding now comes to an end, so too could the school visits and community sessions that form a central part of the program.

Mr Sawyer says in the town of Palmerston near Darwin, the sessions had led some families to conduct weekly 'toad-busts' to contain their population numbers.

'It just shows the huge amount of community concern and the ability for the community to respond to these things,' he said.

'If it's coordinated and facilitated properly, it can be a really positive force for the environment.

'Quite small amounts of funding are massively amplified through the community.'