Ponds

Pond after restoration, Bungay, South Norfolk
Ponds are a common feature of the British landscape. The majority of ponds are located within farmland, but they can be found throughout the landscape, including in gardens, villages, and towns. Ponds can be associated with many other habitats: throughout floodplains, within woodland and heathlands, and on grasslands or moors.

Norfolk has around 23,000 ponds, more than any other English county. The vast majority of ponds are man-made features – commonly dug, many in the 17th to 19th centuries, for marl or for clay, or as watering holes for livestock.

In addition the Norfolk Brecklands are home to hundreds of “pingo ponds” – ancient ponds that occupy ice depressions formed towards the end of the last great ice age.

Why are ponds important?

Ponds provide essential habitat for thousands of species, supporting the survival of aquatic plants, invertebrates, amphibians, dragonflies, damselflies and mammals. Ponds support an amazing two thirds of all freshwater species.

Being a unique habitat for wildlife means that ponds are crucial at a landscape scale. They are regarded as major stepping stones throughout the countryside providing connectivity between differing habitats. Ponds, and connectivity between them, are crucial to species such as the Great Crested Newt, which requires both freshwater and terrestrial habitat as part of its lifecycle.

Ponds also provide wider environmental benefits thanks to their ability to hold water and reduce flooding, store carbon, and reduce pollution through water filtration.

Threats to ponds

50% of Norfolk’s ponds have been lost in the past 70 years, primarily due to being filled in to facilitate the expansion of larger scale, more intensive, agriculture. Ponds are nowadays threatened by land reclamation, widespread encroachment of trees and scrub, pollution and invasive species.

A challenge today, in our modern landscape, is to ensure the survival and improve the quality of remaining ponds, and to restore lost ponds.
 
An exciting project to restore some of Norfolk’s special lost ‘pingo’ ponds Ghost Pingos
An exciting project to restore some of Norfolk’s special lost ‘pingo’ ponds
Norfolk Ponds Project Norfolk Ponds Project
An innovative partnership to promote the conservation of Norfolk’s ponds.
Conducting an assessment is a great way of understanding the current condition of your pond, the wildlife it’s supporting, and the potential the pond has for enhancement. This will help you decide on any management the pond needs, and how to prioritise between different ponds. Depending on your needs and your level of ecological expertise, you can undertake a simple, rapid survey or a scientifically detailed assessment.

Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the Norfolk Ponds Partnership have developed a Rapid Pond Assessment which allows you quickly and effectively to understand basic parameters of your pond to inform future management.

It is also important to consider how your ponds fit within the landscape, and the contribution it can make to an ecologically connected network.

Further details:
If you have an existing pond on your land, assessing it, with a view to future restoration, is generally the best place to start. Existing ponds may already support valuable plants or invertebrates, which can be re-invigorated through sympathetic restoration.

The Norfolk Pond Project website has detailed guidance on restoring ponds within the resources section of its website.
Before creating a new pond it is worth considering if there are any existing ponds that could be restored on your land, in which case the above guidance can be followed.

The next consideration should be the locations of ghost ponds that can be re-created.

If there are no existing ponds, or ghost pond locations, then creating a brand new pond can be a great way to establish valuable new habitat. Careful consideration is needed as to the siting of a new pond: making sure the new pond is not connected to any ditches or drains will help water quality, and making sure the water table will support healthy water levels in your ponds is crucial (a test hole can help determine the level of retained ground water). Please be aware that in some contexts planning permission will be required for a new pond location – seek advice from your local planning authority.

More information: Freshwater Habitats Trust – Create a pond webpage

For details on pond assessment and restoration see our how-to video: