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Ponds
Quick answer
Filling in a pond is an absolute last resort - there are plenty
of ways to make sure your pond is safe.
Further
information
Froglife encourages you not to fill in your pond unless there is
absolutely no other alternative. If you are filling in the pond
because you're worried about safety, there are other options to consider
and if you're concerned about having to maintain it, ponds
really don't require that much work.
Ponds have enormous value for wildlife, particularly in urban
areas where they help populations of amphibians thrive as well
as providing important places for dragonflies and other
invertebrates to live and breed. Ponds also provide stepping
stones for other species to come into urban areas, including
birds, bats and even grass snakes. Urban ponds can help buffer
the disappearance of natural ponds in the wider countryside -
the number of ponds in the UK countryside is estimated to have
declined by over a third in the last century.
Ponds can be of incredible importance for educating young
people. Under supervision, children can see real life examples
of many of the things they learn in the classroom, including
ecosystems, foodchains, biodiversity and wildlife
identification. Plus potential pond-dippers develop a confidence
in the wider world, and an appreciation of and respect for local
nature.
Froglife maintains that other options exist to make ponds safe
and often these work out cheaper and actually take less time,
money and effort than filling in a pond.
If you do choose to fill in your pond, we advise that you wait
until autumn when there will be least amphibians in the water to
disturb. Be sure to complete all the work in one go - do not
leave a drained, empty pond as this can trap amphibians and
other wildlife. After filling in a pond please note that you may
find amphibians returning to the garden the following spring to
breed. You might like to think about installing an alternative
water feature as a replacement.
If you are emptying your pond before autumn, and you have come
across frogspawn or tadpoles we would advise that you transfer
them to a neighbour's garden pond (preferably within one mile).
Do not release spawn or tadpoles into a public water body
(reservoirs, lakes/ponds in nature reserves) without permission,
and avoid moving water (streams, rivers, canals). Please see the
'Garden ponds and the law' FAQ for more information regarding
relocating animals.
There is no organisation that will be able to come and take
spawn, tadpoles or adult amphibians from you.
Pond safety.
Pond alternatives.
Just Add Water.
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