Priority Pond Assessment Result

This is not predicted to be a priority pond

However, this prediction is not conclusive: PASS will miss around 40% of priority ponds. Undertaking more detailed biological surveys, using priority pond criteria, will provide a more conclusive answer. Details of the other criteria for identifying priority ponds can be found here.

Why does PASS miss some priority ponds?

In developing the PASS method, we deliberately took an approach that errs on the side of caution by minimising false positives at the expense of false negatives. Therefore, although this method will miss some priority ponds, it is unlikely to falsely identify a non-priority pond as a priority pond. This means that when PASS predicts that a pond has priority status, this prediction is highly credible.

Your survey matters

Priority ponds are a scarce resource, that’s what makes them so special. It is estimated that only around 20% of the UK’s ponds (excluding garden ponds) would meet one or more of the priority pond criteria. The majority of ponds surveyed using PASS will not be priority ponds. However, surveying a large number of ponds increases the likelihood that we will find those ponds that are priority habitat.

Next steps

Visit the priority ponds page to find out more about what makes priority ponds special.

If you would like to know more about managing ponds for biodiversity, our evidence-based Pond Management Hub resources are freely available.

See our volunteer page for more volunteering opportunities.