Water Friendly Landscapes

Urban Pond Count

Habitat Project

In 2024, volunteers helped us estimate the number of urban ponds in England, so we can better protect them and the species they support.

Child pond dipping

Why is this work important?

Ponds are a critical habitat for freshwater biodiversity – so it’s very important that we know if we are gaining or losing ponds in this country. The last estimate of pond numbers in Britain was made over 15 years ago, in 2007 – which is too long to go without such valuable information. The Urban Pond Count aimed to provide a regular estimate of the number of urban ponds in England, with help from citizen scientists.

Our project partners, Natural England, are collecting data for ponds in rural areas. The results of both these surveys will enable us to estimate the number of ponds in England so we can work towards their future protection.

Counting England's ponds

The aim was to count the number of ponds within representative 1km square areas across England, focusing on ponds in urban areas.

Volunteer citizen scientists helped with the survey and collected habitat data at the ponds (using our PASS survey) which enabled us to identify more priority ponds.

Undertaking the survey involved searching all areas of a selected 1km square: checking out the ponds shown on existing maps to see if they are still there, and looking out for any new ponds. The results were recorded in the field using a phone app.

Pond in an urban area

When and where did the survey happen?

We surveyed 250 randomly selected 1km grid squares over two years. All squares selected for this survey have more than 75% developed land. The map below shows the locations of  1km survey squares where we are looking for volunteers.

Year 1 of the Urban Pond Count was completed in March 2024.

Year 2 was completed in January 2025. We now have a whole new batch of randomly selected 1km grid squares.

If you missed out, don’t worry, you can still help us by doing a Priority Pond Assessment (PASS) survey! PASS surveys can be done between June – October at any pond where you have permission to survey. Note that the PASS survey is not intended for garden ponds.

This map shows the locations of Urban Pond Count squares. Zoom in and out (using the plus/minus function in the top left hand corner), or navigate by typing a location in the search box.

Urban Pond Count Methods

This presentation provides background information and details of the survey method for the Urban Pond Count project.