VITAL new ponds have been created in Bouldnor Forest to safeguard scarce Island Great Crested newts and encourage nationally rare wetland plants to re-establish, thanks to funding and support from the Million Ponds Project and Biffaward.
The grant of £750 from the Pond Digging Fund has enabled the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to dig three new clean water ponds. A staggering 80 per cent of ponds in the countryside are in poor or very poor condition, so it is very important that new clean water ponds such as these are created, giving the hundreds of species that depend on ponds a fighting chance.
The new ponds at Bouldnor Forest will mean that Great Crested newts, and many other plants and animals, will have a secure future. Wildlife Trust Officer, Nicola Wheeler, said: “We wanted to dig some ponds here for a long time, but didn’t know where to start. The Million Ponds Project has been very helpful, helping us to make the best possible ponds, and finding the money to pay for it.”
Creating clean water ponds that will develop in to rich wildlife hotspots is relatively straight forward, as long as people adhere to three key criteria:
• Ponds need a clean water source, free from fertilisers, pesticides, run-off from roads, leaky septic tanks or run-off from intensive agriculture.
• Ponds need to be left to colonise naturally, without the addition of plants and animals.
• Ponds need to be left to thrive without undue disturbance.
Million Ponds Project Officer Pascale Nicolet said: “This is an ideal spot to create wildlife ponds because the water coming off the woodland is clean and free from pollution.
“It means the delicate plants and animals that can’t survive in polluted ponds will be able to find a home here. We are thankful to Biffaward for providing the funds that have made this work possible and to the Island Pond Project Partnership.”
The Million Pond Project provides support and guidance to any landowner or manager in England or Wales who wants to create news ponds for wildlife through the advice line at [email protected] and 01865 483 249, and via the website at www.pondconservation.org.uk/million ponds where you can find the Pond Creation Toolkit, a key resource for anyone thinking of digging a wildlife pond, explaining everything from designing ponds to choosing the right digger, and details of the Pond Digging Fund.
