Identifying priority ponds across the Chess catchment
We’re aiming to understand the condition of ponds across the Chess catchment in the Chilterns. We want to locate the best of the best - the priority ponds - where conservation action should be targeted.
The protection and enhancements of ponds should be core in any catchment restoration project. They are critical ecosystem engineers, supporting two-thirds of freshwater species and – at landscape scale – more biodiversity than larger waterbodies, including rivers and lakes. This is due to their greater collective heterogeneity (habitat variation between different ponds).
Sadly we know very little about ponds across the landscape, in particular our best ponds. It’s estimated that nationally only 10% of these priority ponds have been identified.
This project is addressing this data gap in the Chess catchment, working with volunteers to undertake its first landscape scale assessment of ponds, building a picture of their condition as well as identifying the best sites to guide future conservation action.
~250
Ponds mapped in Chess catchment
70-100
Ponds aimed to be survey through the project
15
Ponds surveyed with for wetland plants and freshwater invertebrates
10
Walkovers across landholdings to identify habitat creation and restoration opportunities
- Mapped Ponds Across the Chess Catchment