Volunteers are helping us to identify potential priority ponds. Get involved and complete a Priority Pond Assessment (PASS) survey to support national efforts to map more of these vital wildlife habitats.

The Priority Pond Assessment (PASS) system has been developed to provide a way to rapidly identify whether a pond is likely to qualify as a priority pond.

The system uses physical variables, such as the land use around the pond, to predict whether the pond would be likely to have priority status if it was surveyed using the biological criteria traditionally used to identify priority ponds.

The PASS survey is now closed for this year. Please do not submit any data collected after 1^st October. Thank you to everyone who took part. All newly identified provisional priority ponds will be added to the priority ponds map. The survey season will begin again in June 2025.

How to do a PASS survey

PASS can be used to assess ponds in England and Wales, using survey data collected during the period from early summer (mid-June) through to early autumn (beginning of October). This is when most wetland plants are visible in ponds. Please ensure you have landowner permission before surveying a pond.

This survey is not intended for garden ponds.

Before you visit your pond please download and read the PASS Method Guide or watch the video presentation (below). You should also view the priority ponds map to see if your pond has already been identified as a priority pond.

Please enter your data into the PASS survey form below. Once you have entered, you will get an immediate result for your pond. You can print out the PASS field sheet to complete at the pond and then enter data online when you get home, or you can enter data directly into the form.

For more information on how this method was developed see our PASS Manual.

Two women sitting in front of a pond, looking at a clipboard.

Volunteer documents

PASS Method Guide

Download

PASS Field Sheet

Download

PASS survey form

Location Details

Site Name(Required)

Surveyor Name(s)(Required)

We will only contact you if we have questions about this survey

Organisation

Group

Survey Date(Required)

Hidden

Geocoder

Location

Enter Grid Reference, search by location, or enter coordinates

Grid Reference

Location

Search by address or area

Coordinates(Required)

Manually enter Latitude and Longitude if address searching isn't accurate

Map

Click on the map to move your marker to the exact location

Hidden

Northing

To be hidden after testing

Pond Variables

Inflow Present(Required)

Overhanging trees & shrubs (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

% of pond overhung by trees and shrubs This is an estimate of how much of the pond is directly overhung by trees and shrubs, i.e. that would be shaded if the sun was directly overhead.

Aquatic and wetland vegetation cover, excluding duckweed, water fern and filamentous algae (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

% of the whole pond (wet and dry) occupied by water plants like grasses, water mint and rushes, submerged (e.g. water-crowfoot) species and floating species e.g. waterlily But exclude filamentous algae, duckweeds and water fern (e.g. Lemna, Spirodela and Azolla species).

Grazing intensity (0-5)

Please enter a number from 0 to 5.

Rank 0-5 (0=infrequent or low intensity to 5 = margins heavily poached and almost bare). Intermediate scores e.g. 3.5 can be used.

Isolation (0-5)

Please enter a number from 0 to 5.

Rank 0-5 (0=highly isolated from other waterbodies and wetlands to 5 = located in the middle of a major wetland area). Intermediate scores e.g. 3.5 can be used.

Surrounding land use 0-5m

Surrounding land use: Estimate the percentage of surrounding land-use in distance zones outward from the pond outer edge (i.e. the maximum winter water level). In many ponds the 0-5m zone will be dominated by the vegetation on the pond’s upper banks.

Trees, woodland & scrub

Deciduous woodland, individual trees, scrub and hedgerows (excludes coniferous woodland and commercial orchards)

0-5m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Heath and Moorland

Lowland and upland heath and moorland; includes bracken

0-5m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Ponds and Lakes

Permanent and seasonal waterbodies; including trackway pools

0-5m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Arable

All crops. Includes flower and fruit crops (e.g. strawberries) and ploughed land

0-5m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Surrounding land use 0-100m

Trees, woodland & scrub

Deciduous woodland, individual trees, scrub and hedgerows (EXCLUDES coniferous woodland and commercial orchards)

0-100m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Heath and Moorland

Lowland and upland heath and moorland; includes bracken

0-100m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Rank vegetation

Unmanaged grass, neglected and abandoned land, set-aside, verges and buffer strips.

0-100m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Semi-improved grassland

A transition category. Grasslands modified by fertilisers, drainage, herbicides or intensive grazing, but retaining elements of natural grassland types in the area.

0-100m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Unimproved grassland

Herb-rich, calcareous and acid grassland (good quality plant indicators usually present). Low percentage of agricultural grasses. Not fertilised, little or no drainage.

0-100m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Ponds and Lakes

Permanent and seasonal waterbodies; including trackway pools.

0-100m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Other semi-natural

E.g. maritime vegetation, saltmarsh, sand-dune, cliffs, rock-outcrops, gravel-pits, quarries, areas of sand, gravel or stone, river, stream, ditch and spring, canals, bog, fen, marsh & flush

0-100m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Conifer Woodland

Woodland dominated by conifers.

0-100m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Arable

All crops. Includes flower and fruit crops (e.g. strawberries) and ploughed land.

0-100m (%)

Please enter a number from 0 to 100.

Hidden

CALC - 0-100M Wood and scrub

HIDDEN ON FINAL FORM - combined value of 0-100M Trees, woodland & scrub and conifer woodland

Hidden

CALC - All SN 0-100

HIDDEN ON FINAL FORM - combined value of all semi-natural 0-100

I confirm that I own, or have the right to survey, this pond.(Required)

Confirm

I confirm that I understand that these data (including pond locations) may be made publicly available online and downloadable under the Open Government Licence. This will not include any sensitive or personal information which could in any way identify you or other individuals connected with the land.(Required)

Confirm

Is my pond a Priority Pond?

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

66095

Priority ponds partners and funders

Freshwater Habitats Trust is mapping England’s priority ponds with our partners and funders.

Priority Pond Assessment (PASS)

How to do a PASS survey

Volunteer documents

PASS survey form

Location Details

Location

Pond Variables

Surrounding land use 0-5m

Trees, woodland & scrub

Heath and Moorland

Ponds and Lakes

Arable

Surrounding land use 0-100m

Trees, woodland & scrub

Heath and Moorland

Rank vegetation

Semi-improved grassland

Unimproved grassland

Ponds and Lakes

Other semi-natural

Conifer Woodland

Arable

Priority ponds partners and funders

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