Help protect wildlife by pooling your local pond

"Our objective is to secure the future of ponds as a resource for everyone to enjoy.

Did you know that by having a closer look at your local pond, you could help conservationists protect biodiversity in the North East? One of the biggest challenges to safeguarding plant and animal species is gathering enough information about their trends, and pond wildlife is particularly under-recorded in our region. Through the Pooling Our Ponds project, a new community survey initiative, everyone can help build a picture of the health of local ponds.

The project, promoted by the North East Local Biodiversity Partnership, aims to collect baseline data on the quality of the ponds across Grampian and Tayside. According to the State of Nature Report published by the RSPB, it is possible to report quantitative trends for only 5% of the 59,000 or so terrestrial and freshwater species in the UK, and for very few of the 8,500 marine species.

Besides being havens for wildlife, ponds are places to relax and also to learn to value the environment while having fun. Rose Toney, Local Biodiversity Action Plan coordinator based at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, said it is very easy to take part in the survey.

“Our objective is to secure the future of ponds as a resource for everyone to enjoy. Just half an hour four times a year could really help us do just that – preserving wildlife by enhancing the knowledge available on the state of the ponds across the North East.”

Dr Jeremy Biggs, director of charity Pond Conservation, commented: “Collectively, ponds support a wider variety of plants and animals than either lakes or rivers. They are a place where everyone can get involved, whether that means monitoring ponds in the countryside or making a haven for wildlife in the garden.”

The step-by-step guide on how to pool your local pond is available at the North East Scotland Local Biodiversity Partnership website.

Notes to editors

The North East Local Biodiversity Partnership was formed in 1996 by statutory and voluntary agencies and individuals with a common interest in conserving biodiversity. Its aim is to protect and enhance local biodiversity by developing and implementing a Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP). Current members of the partnership are Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB, East Grampian Coastal Partnership, Forestry Commission Scotland, NFUS, Scottish Government's Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate, SEPA and the James Hutton Institute.

The James Hutton Institute is a world-leading scientific organisation encompassing a distinctive range of integrated strengths in land, crop, waters, environmental and socio-economic science. It undertakes research for customers including the Scottish and UK Governments, the EU and other organisations worldwide. The institute has a staff of nearly 600 and 120 PhD students. The Institute takes its name from the 18th century Scottish Enlightenment scientist, James Hutton, who is widely regarded as the founder of modern geology and who was also an experimental farmer and agronomist.