Yorkshire Dales campaign to revive lost ghost ponds

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 14:51 · Archive

A conservation campaign is asking landowners across the Yorkshire Dales to help restore lost ponds that were filled in or drained.

The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority have launched a campaign to restore 'ghost ponds' across the national park. These are former ponds that were filled in or drained, often leaving only damp hollows in fields or pasture. Many disappeared as farming intensified after the Second World War, although some may date back thousands of years.

The project will re-excavate old pond basins, remove drainage systems and allow water to refill them naturally. Dormant seeds and spores in the soil can quickly spring back to life, restoring pond ecosystems within months. The campaign is asking landowners to help identify and restore the ponds on their land.

According to Mark Corner, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's member champion for the natural environment, restoring these ponds will create valuable habitat for wildlife, boost biodiversity and help landscapes become more resilient to climate change by holding water in the landscape for longer. Professor Carl Sayer, a professor of freshwater biology at University College London, said that once restored, farmland ponds become very diverse quickly, reaching the standard of the best farmland ponds within a year or two, and are important in supporting birds, bats, pollinators and mammals across the wider countryside.

How it is being reported

• Yorkshire Dales campaign to revive lost ‘ghost ponds’ and boost wildlife habitatsYorkshire Dales campaign urges landowners to restore ‘ghost ponds’, reviving wildlife habitats, boosting biodiversity and strengthening climate resilience.Darlington & Stockton Times · 22 Oct, 05:00
• Yorkshire Dales campaign to revive lost ‘ghost ponds’ and boost wildlife habitatsYorkshire Dales campaign urges landowners to restore ‘ghost ponds’, reviving wildlife habitats, boosting biodiversity and strengthening climate resilience.The Northern Echo · 22 Oct, 05:00

In this story: Yorkshire Dales · Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust · Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority · Mark Corner · Professor Carl Sayer · University College London

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