Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive, Mineral Products Association and Jeremy Biggs, Director, Pond Conservation at the NBN Conference 2013
Ponds are a critical habitat for freshwater wildlife – they support a wider variety of freshwater species and more endangered species than either rivers or lakes. New ponds are cheap and easy to make, and as long as some key principles are applied, so that they are fed by a clean water source, they quickly become biodiversity hotspots. And pond creation on aggregate extraction sites can be very cost-effective because earth-moving equipment is often available on site and ponds need relatively little space.
Recognising this, and the fact that more endangered freshwater plants and animals use ponds than either rivers or lakes, the Mineral Products Association has teamed up with Pond Conservation to encourage the creation of new high quality, clean water ponds, as part of the restoration of aggregate extraction sites or the management of already restored sites.
Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive MPA, said: “MPA members have a long legacy of high quality restoration and are uniquely placed to protect and enhance biodiversity and help arrest the decline of rare and threatened species and habitats. This partnership will enable our members to build on the biodiversity work they do already to ensure we are contributing what we can to Pond Conservation's ambitious plans for a million new clean water ponds.”
Read the Press Release
