Government-funded research published by the charity Pond Conservation shows that 80 per cent of wildlife ponds in the UK are in a ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ state. This study has also shown that we have lost almost half a million ponds in the last century. The effects of this loss on wildlife are devastating, as freshwater ponds provide many species with suitable breeding and feeding habitat.

BBOWT is involved in several ongoing wetland conservation and restoration projects across the three counties in which it operates.

On the Buckingham/Oxfordshire boundary, one of its recent projects has been the purchase and restoration of Gallows Bridge Farm (an extension to the Upper Ray Meadows Nature Reserve), an area of floodplain meadows bordering the River Ray, near Bicester.

There are now only 1,500 hectares of floodplain meadows left in the UK, mainly due to land drainage and the intensification of farming practices.

Floodplain meadows are important for many wildlife species. Birds such as curlew, lapwing and skylark all nest in the meadows, while butterflies like small heath and small copper, and day-flying moths, such as burnet companion and mother shipton, all benefit from these flower-rich meadows.

But in the Upper Ray area there is little good quality freshwater habitat for local wildlife. So part of the restoration work which BBOWT has been taking on includes the creation of a pond complex at the eastern end of Gallows Bridge Farm, which is made up of a group of over 30 ponds of varying shapes and sizes, located close together.

After purchasing the land in 2007, BBOWT approached Pond Conservation, a charity dedicated to protecting pond wildlife in the UK, to get specialist advice on freshwater habitat restoration.

Dr Pascale Nicolet, senior ecologist at Pond Conservation, jumped at the opportunity to get involved: “At the time we were launching our Million Ponds project, aimed at reversing the decline in the quality and quantity of ponds in the UK, so this was a great opportunity. Pond complexes offer ‘protective’ networks where species are less likely to become extinct because of the wide range of conditions created.

“There are a number of features at Gallows Bridge Farm which make it particularly attractive for creating a pond complex.

“The area is almost completely insulated from contaminated water. There is no drainage from neighbouring fields, the water table is sufficiently low so it doesn’t reach the water in the ponds, and the particular area chosen is not subject to inundation by flood waters from the surrounding watercourses.

“These features fulfil many of the Million Ponds Project criteria and have the potential to create a fantastic wildlife haven.”

Although a pond is essentially just a hole in the ground, certain features of ponds can significantly increase the quality and quantity of wildlife that inhabit them.

The ponds at Gallows Bridge Farm have wide, convoluted, shallow-sloping sides to provide large areas of shallow water around the edge. This is known as the ‘drawdown zone’ where the water level changes naturally between the peak of winter and the low of summer, when there is less rain and the heat increases evaporation.

The drawdown zone supports the biggest variety of species in a pond. Many wetland plants exist here and provide a home for a huge variety of invertebrates, such as snails, spiders, beetles and the aquatic larvae of dragonflies and damselflies.

These shallow pond edges can provide feeding areas for wading birds and food and cover for their chicks. Muddy edges, exposed by summer drought, also provide feeding areas for mammals like shrews, while dragonflies, such as the southern hawker, lay their eggs in the damp, exposed mud.

Controlled grazing by cattle will keep the surrounding vegetation low and their ‘poaching’ (the trampling action of livestock) will help to keep the shallow water and drawdown zone open.

Giles Strother, BBOWT’s acquisitions and project development manager, added: “With Pond Conservation’s advice, we were able to scale-up the project, and their expertise helped us to seek funding through Biffaward’s environmental scheme.

“Pond Conservation also provided some of the costs themselves. Without their involvement, we wouldn’t have been able to create such an extensive area of new ponds and we’re very excited to see how they develop over the next few years.”

The collaboration with Pond Conservation is one of many that BBOWT has with other conservation organisations.

In the Ray Valley alone, BBOWT is working with the RSPB, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Plantlife and Aylesbury Vale District Council, and local farmers and landowners, to try to restore these floodplain meadows for wildlife.

Matthew Jackson, head of conservation policy and strategy at BBOWT, highlights the importance of collaboration with other conservation organisations: “As a general conservation organisation, whose remit covers wildlife in all its guises, it is invaluable to be able to work with groups with specific expertise and it is these partnership projects that often bring the greatest wildlife benefits.”

Dug in 2009, the new pond complex contains 36 ponds. The ponds are already filled with water and will be closely monitored to record the arrival of new species over the coming years.

These ponds will not only serve to increase biodiversity at Gallows Bridge Farm, but will also contribute to targets for pond-associated species listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, such as the great crested newt and common toad.

The collaboration between BBOWT and Pond Conservation has demonstrated that combining efforts has produced great results for local wildlife.