Create mini ponds to boost biodiversity - charity

People in South Yorkshire are being encouraged to create their own home-made ponds in a bid to raise awareness about the importance of looking after rivers and wetlands.

Launching the campaign, Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust warned that local waterways were in "poor ecological and chemical health", meaning river catchments and neighbouring aquatic habitats had lower biodiversity than they should.

However, "mini ponds" created in as little as an hour could help boost biodiversity, a charity spokesperson said.

Scarlett Smithies, leading the campaign, said: "Ponds of any scale can act as stepping stones, linking rivers and wetlands and helping wildlife move through the landscape."

The charity spokesperson said its Living Waters campaign had been launched in response to the state of streams and rivers across South Yorkshire.

Waterways were under pressure from "pollution, habitat loss and climate change" and, as a result, many were failing to support the wildlife and communities that depended on them, they said.

The trust said it was committed to working towards 30% of local rivers and wetlands being in good ecological health by 2030.

Ponds, even small ones, were one of the most effective ways to boost biodiversity, according to the trust.

A well-designed garden pond could "support more wildlife than any other single feature", providing essential habitat for amphibians, invertebrates, birds and mammals, the spokesperson said.

Local residents were being encouraged to make a mini-pond themselves in an hour using simple items such as old washing-up bowls, plant pots or repurposed containers, with just a few natural materials like stones, gravel and native plants.

The trust said that if ponds were placed in some sunlight, filled with rainwater and designed with gentle slopes so wildlife could safely get in and out, even the smallest one could quickly become a "refuge for nature".

Smithies explained that everyone could be a "part of the solution".

"By creating small watery habitats, we can help stitch together an ecological network of spaces that supports wildlife across the whole landscape," she said.

Several local community groups have already joined the campaign.

The Caribbean Sports Club in Ecclesfield has created a large wildlife pond intended for contemplation as part of the Windrush Legacy Garden.

Meanwhile, a recycled tyre has formed the base for a small pond in the Oasis Community Hub in Page Hall, and the CUBE Foundation in Darnall now boasts a half-barrel pond outside the community space.

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