Pond websites and information
This page is aimed at providing useful external web links and downloadable resources.
A glossary of commonly used pond terminology is available here
Pond wildlife websites
British Wild Flowers is an excellent set of photos allowing to confirm suspected plant ID.
www.british-wild-flowers.co.uk
Buglife is an invertebrate conservation charity and can provide advice on water invertebrates.
www.buglife.org.uk
Flora Locale is a registered charity which aims to promote good practice in the use and sourcing of British and Irish wild flora for all projects in those countries that have wildlife in mind. Their website has a lot of information on identifying and sourcing native flora.
www.floralocale.org
Froglife is a UK wildlife charity committed to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles-saving species, improving habitats and enhancing our lives in the process.
www.froglife.org
The Herpetological Conservation Trust (The HCT) is a UK based charity and charitable company established to further the conservation of amphibians and reptiles (collectively known as herpetofauna).
www.herpconstrust.org.uk
Pond Conservation is a national charity dedicated to creating and protecting ponds and the wildlife they support. Their website has a wide range of pond advice including a pond creation toolkit, pond management and invasive species advice, information on the Pond Habitat Action Plan and a News section.
www.pondconservation.org.uk
Pond Expert is a website designed to offer a reference point on designing, constructing and caring for ponds.
www.pondexpert.co.uk
The RSPB has produced information on ponds and wildlife, it can be found here:
www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/pondsforwildlife/index.aspx
Useful pond wildlife publications
Here is a range of downloadable resources by a range of conservation organisations on managing, creating and understanding ponds
Ponds
15 years of ponds assessment in Britain (Biggs et al, 2005)
Are small isolated wetlands expendable? (Conservation biology, 1998)
Can we make new ponds more diverse? (Hydrobiologia, 2008)
Charactoristics of neglected ponds (Cereghino)
Conservation and monitoring of pond biodiversity
Experimental Temporary Pond Communities (ESA)
Pond biodiversity and habitat loss in the uk
Ponds (Scottish Natural Heritage)
Urban ponds: A landscape of multiple meanings
Wildlife ponds (Staffordshire Wildlife Trust)
Identification of priority ponds (Fairclough and Nicolet)
Species (generic)
BAP species associated with ponds (Pond Conservation)
List of key species, key habitats and broad habitats
SOCC – Species of conservation concern
Click here to download the SOCC list as an excel file
The SOCC list is a large file and so has been put into a zip file for easy download, keeping it in the excel format allows you to search for species.
Non native species
Audit of non native species in Britain (English Nature)
Eradications of invasive alien species in Europe (Genovesi)
Amphibians
Reptile and amphibian recording – how and why – Froglife
What to look for… British amphibians and reptiles – Froglife
Great crested newts
Surveying for (great crested) newts – Froglife
A workshop presentation on great crested newts by the Derby ARG
A brief guide to the habitat management of great crested newts
Breeding pond management and restoration
Below are links to the Great Crested Newt Conservation Handbook. Due to the large file sizes these have been divided into sections.
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 1
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 2
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 3
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 4
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 5
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 6
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 7
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 8
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 9
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 10
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 11
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 12
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 13
Great crested newt conservation handbook part 14
Health and disease
Mammals
Watershrew captive breeding (Wild Wood Trust)
Watershrews (Sussex otters and rivers project)
Freshwater invertebrates
Managing farmland ponds and ditches for invertebrates (Buglife)
Surveying freshwater and terrestrial invertebrate for conservation (Natural England)
Journals
Indicator taxa for the conservation of pond invertebrate diversity
Corixidae of the north west midland meres (Savage)
Corixidae in lakes – North west midland meres (Savage)
Corixidae of Shropshire meres (Macan)
The ecology of a lowland sandstone river, Shropshire
Salinity effects on water beetles
Ecological and evolutionary significance of dispersal by freshwater invertebrates
Student investigations on the fauna of an Exmoor stream
Decline of the mayflies (Bennett)
An appraisal of pond-net samples for biological monitoring of lotic macro-invertebrates
Keys and identification guides
Key to the nymphs of stoneflies (FBA)
Key to the adults of corixidae (Savage)
Identification of freshwater shrimps (FBA)
Simple key for freshwater shrimps (FBA)
Key to invertebrates in stony hill streams (Redfern)
Plants
Plants for wildlife ponds (Which?)
Planting up ponds (The Pond Conservation Trust)
Greater Water Parsnip at Newham Fen (Environment Agency)
Problem and invasive plants
Problem Pond Plants – managing algae, duckweed and other floating plants
Blue-green algae in the North Shropshire meres (Reynolds)
Tees Valley alien aquatic plants guide (Tees Valley Wildlife Trust)
Whats in your pot? (Plantlife)
Prevent pond pests plants (Water for Wildlife)
Japanese knotweed – Code of practice (Environment agency)
Controlling invasive species near water (Environment Agency)
Crassula helmsii
Crassula helmsii – Invasive alien species project
Crassula helmsii in UK ponds: Effects on plant biodiversity and implications for newt conservation
Crassula helmsii – attempts at elimination using pesticides
Photosynthetic carbon assimilation by Crassula helmsii
Copper in Higher Plants – Crassula helmsii
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology guidance
Curly waterweed (Lagarosiphon major)
New Zealand stonecrop (Crassula helmsii)
Broad leaved pondweed (Potamogeton natans)
Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianium)
Nutall’s pondweed (Elodea nutallii)
Parrots feather (Myriophyllum aquatium)
Survey methods
An appraisal of pond net samples for biological monitoring of lotic macroinvertebrates
National Pond Survey Methods (Pond Action)
National Pond Monitoring Network (Pond Conservation)
Education
The pond pack – resources for teachers – Holland Park Ecology Centre, London
Gardens
Wildlife Pond Pack (The Wildlife Trusts)
Enjoy your pond (Environment Agency)
Garden ponds (Natural England)
Pond problems – Pond Conservation
Pond and wetland management
Creating a wildlifepond (Natural Gardens)
Management of wetlands for wildlife
Common monitoring standards guidance for Lowland Wetland habitats (2004) – JNCC
Farming to benefit wildlife – Pond management – RSPB
Pond creation and restoration
Wetland habitat, restoration and creation (English Nature)
Making a wildlife pond (Pond Conservation)
Creating networks of high quality ponds (Pond Conservation)
Designations, development & legislation
Ponds – a priority habitat – best practice guidance for development control planning officers
Guidance on building development with regards amphibians (HCT)
Planning system and site defence protecting amphibian and reptile habitats (Froglife)
Pond guidance for planning officers (Pond Conservation)
Wildlife and development (English Nature)
Ponds – Environmental Stewardship
Local Nature Reserves (English Nature)
Local Nature Reserves in England (English Nature)
SSSI condition assessment for landowners (Natural England)
Review of non native species legislation and guidance (DEFRA)
Pond brownfield and industrial sites
Effects of the amenity value for angling on the conservation of industrial ponds
Managing aggregates sites for invertebrates (Buglife)
Flooding, chemicals and pollution
Catchment flood management plans (Environment Agency)
Monitoring levels and flow in wetlands (Environment Agency)
Flooding influence on wetland plant communities
Other miscellaneous downloads
