Tiny, Modest Ponds are a Wonder of Nature
You may appreciate the mighty sea and those deep, dark lakes, yet how about tiny ponds? Ponds are an important body of water as they fight climate change, improve biodiversity, and help conservation, according to The Revelator organization. If you are thinking about creating a beautiful and enriching element to your garden this spring, consider a pond.
Creating or preserving a pond is important for the environment as they are simply disappearing. In Switzerland, less than ten percent of the ponds from the last 200 years remain. And in the UK, less than a quarter of the ponds that existed at the start of the 20th century are still around.
Giving ponds power
However, a European organization called PONDERFUL is trying to give ponds power by increasing awareness of their importance. Presently, a body of water in Europe that is less than 50 hectares (123 acres) has no protection, writes The Revelator.
With help now on the way, Switzerland has made hundreds of new ponds thus increasing the population of toads, newts, and frogs, including the endangered European tree frog. In the UK, a sustainability pond project restored over 200 ponds, bringing back a profusion of important aquatic plants, amphibians, and invertebrates.
Small, shallow ponds called dew ponds are being restored on former golf courses in the UK, according to yahoo!news. “They are the unsung heroes of the natural world and are in the front line of climate action, supporting wildlife and capturing harmful emissions,” Jamie Lloyd, Brighton and Hove’s lead councilor for biodiversity, told yahoo!news.
Islands in an urban sea
Adding even a tiny pond in your garden can achieve natural wonders and will actually boost all other ecosystems, according to Pond Informer, an online guide about ponds. A pond becomes home to many plants and animals, as well as endangered species. They are a sanctuary for frogs who eat insects and keep the ecosystem balanced.
They also offer a space for roosting and perching birds to bathe, cool, off and drink. In turn, these birds help with pollination, seed dispersal, and control insects. Bats will also benefit from a pond and can eat hundreds of thousands of insects each night, bugs that may just munch on your garden during the day!
Yes, your pond can make a difference. You will create an island in an urban sea, a small refuge for birds and amphibians, and will assist in helping to protect many endangered species.
