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Restoring Norfolk ponds
3 December 2018
CPRE award for UCL Geography campaign
On 19th November Dr Carl Sayer & Dr Helen Greaves were part of the Norfolk Ponds Project team that won the Successful Campaign award at the annual awards event of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE).
The Norfolk Ponds Project (NPP), formed in 2014, is a partnership between the UCL Pond Restoration Research Group, the Norfolk Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group, local farmers, and a wide range of other agencies, including the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership, Norfolk Rivers Trust, Norfolk Non-native Species Initiative, Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service, the National Trust, Norfolk County Council and Natural England.
In its four years, the NPP has delivered over 50 farmland pond restorations with spectacular measured biodiversity benefits. It has also created two restored farmland pond landscapes, now being used as demonstration sites.
All the work has been undertaken by volunteers, with academics, students, gamekeepers, farmers and local people working together to share much knowledge, and fun!
Advice has also been delivered to hundreds of farmers, and Carl and Helen have also lead a variety of outreach events.
Many others from UCL Geography have helped, including Ian Patmore, Dave Emson, Ewan Shilland, Jan Axmacher, Richard Walton, Jon Lewis, Emily Alderton, David Downes, as well as several brilliant MSc Aquatic Science and MSc Conservation students including Ben Siggery, Harry Stone, Jack Greenhalgh and Alice Field.
Next year the NPP plans to restore 50 more ponds, in an event called “The Big 50”.
This short video, narrated by Carl, shows some of the group’s work and also meets the inspiration for the project, Norfolk farmer Richard Waddingham: