Norfolk Ponds Project

The Norfolk Ponds Project aims to reverse the decline of Norfolk’s ponds so that agricultural landscapes contain a mosaic of clean water ponds with fewer ponds overgrown by trees and bushes. It will seek to achieve this by:

• Providing advice to landowners on how best to restore and manage ponds in farmland.
• Establishing a fund that can be used to support practical pond restoration and the re-excavation of Ghost Ponds lost to agricultural land reclamation.
• Promoting the creation of new ponds, especially in river valley floodplains, where much stillwater habitat has been lost in the last century due to drainage schemes.
• Integrating ponds into other aquatic conservation projects in Norfolk, especially in rivers, fens and coastal areas.
• Promoting the conservation of key pond species, such as great crested newt, crucian carp, water vole and plants such as stoneworts and pondweeds
• Educating the public and farmers on the value of ponds in farmland through site visits and open days.
• Establishing community pond restoration projects that re-connect landowners and people with Norfolk’s ponds.