This campaign has now closed
70% of ponds in the South Downs National Park are in poor condition, or have disappeared from the landscape, resulting in large swathes of downland where no surface water is available. We are now looking to restore a network of these ponds, to benefit the whole natural environment.
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Beneficiaries
Situation
Historically, ponds, particularly dew ponds, were a common sight on the South Downs, providing vital water for grazing sheep and wildlife in an otherwise dry landscape. With climate change bringing hotter, drier summers, ponds have an increasingly critical role to play in providing habitat and sources of water for wildlife. However, 70% are in poor condition, or have disappeared, resulting in large areas where no surface water is available or water available is polluted.
Solution
We aim to restore 20 Dew ponds in the next three years. This involves the removal of the pond vegetation to create open water areas, removal of excess silt to create varied depths and creation of safe public viewing areas with onsite interpretation. For some ponds in need of restoration, the removal of modern concrete linings and replacement with traditional clay lining, but with the addition of a membrane lining, is needed to ensure durability including for sustainability in the dry months.
