1. What Makes Your
Garden Pond Great?
Let us help you find out what is in your pond and help us
find out what makes a great pond by carrying out this
survey.
Jordan Gledhill and Hannah Andrews Citizen Science

2. 1
WHATS SO GOOD ABOUT PONDS?
A pond is defined as: Water bodies between 1 m2 and 2 ha in an
area which may be permanent or seasonal, including both
manmade and natural water bodies. In 1986 British fresh water
biologists highlighted the fact that with a few notable exceptions the
wider ecology of ponds had been almost entirely neglected and, as
a habitat, ponds were largely ignored by freshwater biologists. The
result was that the protection of small water bodies was largely a
matter of chance. However, ponds have recently been shown to be
surprisingly significant as freshwater habitats, supporting a relatively
high proportion of the total freshwater biodiversity present in a range
of landscape types [1, 2]. They are species-rich, supporting
populations of at least two-thirds of Britain’s freshwater plant and
animal species [3].
It is clear that ponds are important for biodiversity conservation [4]
but unfortunately ponds have been lost on a large scale during the
twentieth century, reaching 40-90% decline for various Northwestern
European countries [5]. In North America, a recent analysis has
shown that extinction rates among North American freshwater fauna
are as high as for the fauna of tropical forests [6].
The destruction of pond habitats has three components:
straightforward loss of habitat, increased fragmentation of the
remaining habitat and reduced habitat quality. Habitat loss and
fragmentation usually occur together and have undoubtedly led to
greater pressure on a number of pond species due to a reduction in
dispersal and colonization opportunities.

3. 2
WHAT WILL THIS SURVEY DO?
Ornamental and garden ponds have been excluded from most
historic studies due to difficulties in obtaining access, and their
inclusion in future studies is essential. Garden ponds provide a
haven for amphibians, plants and invertebrate fauna in the urban
environment.
A considerable number of new ponds are now being created in
Britain each year, with around 2000 excavated annually in the
lowlands alone.[2] Yet, despite the popularity of pond creation, little
is known of the ecological value or characteristics of new pond sites.
There has been exceptionally little research into the factors that drive
new pond quality. In particular we know little of the key locational and
physiochemical characteristics likely to promote development of high
biodiversity in new ponds.
The aim of this survey is to identify certain aspects of pond
management that may promote higher species than other
management strategies. If these aspects can be identified then
future pond construction can be guided by these results in order to
get the most biological value out of the new pond.
SO HOW CAN YOU HELP?
By filling in this survey, you will be giving us valuable information
about your garden pond. Collecting species samples will enable us
and you to find out the quality of your pond by what lives there. We
will then be able to see if there are any correlations between certain
pond characteristics/management and the conservation value that
they may or may not provide.

4. 3
HEALTH AND SAFETY
EQUIPMENT
You will need:
 This survey pack and our species ID pack
 A net – Watch our video online on how to make your own
net!
 3 shallow trays
 A camera to take photos of your pond and any species that
you are not able to identify to upload to our website later.
 Some spoons to pick insects out of the tray and put into
smaller pots (empty yoghurt pots are perfect !) for closer
identification
This survey is performed close to water and it
is important to be safe.
 Small children must be supervised at all
times when near water.
 Perform survey in pairs or groups, not
alone.
 Cover any open cuts before starting and
wash your hands thoroughly after the
survey.
 Keep a phone nearby (In case of
emergencies) BUT DON’T DROP IT!
 When pond dipping please sit on both
knees or lay your on stomach.

5. 4
METHODS
1. Fill the shallow trays with about 3-4 cm of the pond
water. The water in the tray should be as clear as
possible so remove any weeds or plants.
2. Standing in a sturdy position at the edge of the pond
we want you to perform three differentsweeps,
each sweep lasting 30 seconds.Firstly, sweep the
net slowly across the surface of the pond. Secondly,
through the middle and finally sweep low to the
bottom of the pond. (Why? Because different
species live at differentdepths) .Make Sureto
Sample in This Order so the Sedimentis Not
DisturbedFirst.
3. Each time you finish a sweep,turn the net inside out
into one of the shallow tray and let it settle.
4. The spooncan be used to help look around the tray
for invertebrates. Any that are found can be
identified using our speciesID section.
5. Invertebrates found should be recorded in the tables
provided on the data sheet.
6. Make sure to put any plants or animals back into the
pond.
Visit our website to see a video of one of our lovely colleagues
going through not just the method, but the whole survey.
www.yourgardenpondidme.org.uk
SURVEY
1. Date of survey _____________________________________
2. Time of survey _____________________________________
3. Pond location (This can either be: Postcode/ GPS /or use of our
online interactive map)

6. 5
4. Age of person(s) taking this survey:
5-15 16-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56+
5. How would you describe your invertebrate identification skills?
Beginner Intermediate Expert
6. Which type of water system does your pond have?
Fountain Pump Still standing
7. How are you participating in the survey?
School Volunteer group Family or friends
8. What is today’s weather like?
Sunny Cloudy Rainy
9. Source of water for your pond:
Tap/hose Rainfall Stream

7. 6
10. What is the size of your pond across the largest point in
meters?
0-1 1.1- 2 2.1 – 3 3+
11. What is the approximate percentage of the pond circumference
that is occupied by plants and/or trees?
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
12. What does the margin of your pond mainly look like?
Concrete/ paving stone Small plants Mown grass Long grass
Tall plants Trees Bare ground Rockery
13. Is there an artificial cover (netted or fully covered) on the pond
surface?
Yes No
14. What approximate percentage of overhang from surrounding
trees covers the pond surface?
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

8. 7
15. Does the pond being surveyed have any of the following
present?
Duck weed String weed Algae
16. Do you use any of the following on the surrounding area of your
pond?
Fertilizers Manure Pesticides Herbicides None
17. Average length of time taken to search trays (minutes):
0-5 6-10 11-15 16 +

9. 8
DATA COLLECTING
Use the speciesidentificationguide provided to help you
ID the species found within your pond.
Please tally in the correctcolumn how many of each
species are found within each pond dipping phase.
Species
(common name)
Pond
health
score
Top
of
Pond
Middle
of
Pond
Bottom
of
Pond
Total of
each
species
Alderfly larvae 10
Cased/caseless
caddisfly larvae
10
Damselfly larvae 10
Dragonfly larvae 10
Flatworms 1
Great diving beetle 5
Greater water boatman 5
Leaches 1
Lesser water boatman 5
Mayfly larvae 5
Midge larvae 1
Pea mussel 1
Pond skaters 5
Pond snail 1
Ramshorn snail 1
Rat-tailed maggots 1
Water scorpion 5
Water shrimps 5
Water slaters 1
Water stick insect 5
Total

10. 9
Additional Species Found Tick
Great Crested Newt
Smooth Newt
Palmate Newt
Common Frog
Common Toad
Marsh Frog
So, how many species have
you found? (How many rows
have at least one tick in them?)
……………..
Each of these different species
you have found have been
allocated a pond health score.
For the species you have
found add up their pond health
scores
=

11. 10
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR POND?
By sampling your pond and telling us what was in it, we
are able to evaluate the health of your pond. The pond
health score was created by the biological monitoring
working party; it is a procedure formeasuring water
quality using the species within the pond as biological
indicators.
The method is based on the fact that differentaquatic
invertebrates have differenttolerances to pollutants. For
example Flatworms are very tolerant of pollutants and so
can live in highly polluted waters. The Flatworm has a
score of 1. A species that can only live in very healthy
water is given a score of ten. So you can see how the
species inyour pond will give you a score that can tell you
how healthy it is, the higher scoring speciesmeans the
healthier the pond.
So what does your score from above mean for your
ponds health?
Pond Health
Score
Biological Quality
Over 100 Very good
71 - 100 Good
41 - 70 Fair
11 - 40 Poor
0 - 10 Very poor

12. 11
DATA SUMBISSON
Please either enter the data on our website:
www.yourgardenpondidme.org.uk
or send this survey pack back to the following address:
WHY DO WE WANT TO KNOWTHESE THINGS?
So by now you may be wondering why we have asked
you some of these questions. This sectionprovides the
answers, offering the scientific background we used to
compile the not so obvious questions;
 How could the sourceof water affect diversity?
Some pond owners fill or top up their ponds with tap
water. Tap water has much higher levels of nitrates
than the level found in natural ponds.Nitrates cause
excessive nutrients in the water, encouraging plant
growth. This exaggerated plant growth could
smother submerging plants and animals [3].It would
be interesting to see how the way you fill your
ponds affects the diversity of them.
 How could the size of the pond effect diversity?
Macarthur and Wilson’s theory of island
biogeographystates that an area is positively
related to species richness [6]. In other words the
larger an area the more diverse it may be. It would
be interesting to see if your garden ponds match
this theory.

13. 12
 How does vegetation shading effectdiversity?
The mechanisms of how this can affect diversity
have not been sufficientlyinvestigated. However
there are several ways vegetation shading can
affect diversity [3];
1. Overhanging vegetation can mean that water
temperature, at least in the summer, is lower
in ponds that are shaded. This could affectthe
ponds suitability for certain species.
2. Many pond invertebrates are dependenton
the flight of relatively short-lived adults, if the
pond is covered by overhanging vegetation
then it could reduce the chance of
invertebrates further colonizing it.
3. Most trees around ponds are deciduous; this
means that autumn-shed leaves will be
depositedinto the pond. This decaying
organic matter could cause reductions in the
dissolved oxygencontent of the pond.
 How could the environmentaround the pond’s
parameter affectdiversity?
The surroundings of the pond act as a bufferto the
outer areas. This buffercould be a rockery or
vegetation etc., if there is no bufferbetween the
pond and other garden aspects then it could be
effected byfertilizers and pesticidesleaching into
the pond. Bufferzones also add to the habitat
complexityof the pond and could encourage
differentspecies.

14. 13
ITS EASY TO GET INVOLVED
Want to join in but don’t think you have
enough space to have a pond? THINK
AGAIN.
As we have mentioned Garden ponds are able to hold a large
diversity of freshwater animals no matter how big or expensive.
One brilliant way to create a freshwater habitat in your garden is to
bury a bucket or baby bath into the ground and fill it with rain water.
Then wait for the animals to find their new home!
Look on our website for a video showing how YOU can make an
animal haven in your own backyard.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT
If you go onto our website there are many things you can do to
follow on from this booklet by creating your own username:
 You can validate the identification of your own and others
photographs
 Find out more information about the species in your pond
 Compare your ponds quality with friends and family
 Find local people in your area who you could meet with to
survey different ponds.
 If you want to monitor the health of your own pond you can
update data about your pond many times throughout the
years. This will allow you to monitor the health of your pond.
 Order our FREE set of pond life Top Trump playing cards
that could help you remember your identification skills whilst
having fun!
 Log on and have fun doing our species ID quizes that can
help you imporve your idintification skills.

15. 14
REFERENCES
Links to these resources and many more topical content can be
found on our website.
1. Godreau, D. W. Bornette, G. Frochot, B. Amoros, C. Castella, E.
Oertli, B. Chambaud, F. Oberti, D & Craney, E. (1999).
Biodiversity in the floodplain of Saone: a global approach.
Biodiversity and Conservation. 8, 839-864
2. Williams, P. Whitfield, M & Biggs, J. (2004). Comparative
biodiversity of rivers, streams, ditches and ponds in an
agricultural landscape in Southern England. Biological
Conservation. 115, 329-341.
3. Williams, P. Biggs, J. Whitfield, M. Thorne, A. Bryant, S. Fox, G
& Nicolet, P. (1999). The Pond Book: A guide to the
Management and Creation of Ponds. Ponds Conservation Trust,
Oxford.
4. Biggs, J. Cortfield, A. Walker, D. Whitfield, M & Williams, P.
(1994) New approaches to the management of ponds. British
Wildlife.5, 273-287.
5. Boothby, J. Hull, A.P.(1997) A census of ponds in Cheshire,
North West England. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and
Freshwater Ecosystems. 7, 75-79
6. MacArthur, R & Wilson, E. (1967). The theory of island
biogeography. Princeton University Press.
IMAGES
The images used throughout this booklet have been
taken from the following websites:
http://www.stickinsect.org.uk/
http://www.welshwildlife.org/events/pond-dipping-3-2014-08-04/
http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/category/freshwater-invertebrates/

16. 15
We want to say a big THANK YOU.
We hope that you had fun and
check out our website for regular
updates on what your results are
contributing to, further information
and fun games.