The London Pond Survey

Abstract

London has far fewer ponds than it had 100 years ago. In some parts 90 per cent of ponds have been lost since 1870, although the creation of gravel pits and lakes has compensated to a small extent. Such declines have made those ponds that are left of supreme importance for nature conservation, but many are neglected and harbour only remnants of their once rich flora and fauna. In 1984 Thomas Langton carried out a survey of London's ponds and other areas of standing water with the aim of identifying which ponds needed saving and managing for wildlife. This much needed work was made possible by the Greater London Council, which gave a grant to the FFPS for the purpose.From the first signs of spring, and throughout the summer, a field survey was made of the 1600 or so waterbodies that exist today within the 400 sq miles which make up the urban and green-belt areas of London. The distribution and ecological potential of the waterbodies and their surroundings were recorded, but of key importance was the search for the declining and protected great crested newt Triturus cristatus and its two congeners, the smooth newt T. vulgaris, and the palmate newt T. helveticus. These three amphibians are sensitive to habitat disturbance, in both their aquatic and terrestrial phases.

Local and landscape scale determinants of macroinvertebrate assemblages and their conservation value in ponds across an urban land-use gradient

“…In the UK, 32% of ponds are estimated to have been lost over 120 years between 1880 and 2000 with the greatest losses occurring in urban areas (Biggs et al 2005). In London, over 90% of ponds were lost between 1870 and 1984 (Langton 1985) whereas in Birmingham over 80% were lost between 1904(Thornhill 2013. Research is urgently needed to determine the biodiversity and conservation value of these neglected and increasingly threatened habitats.…”

The application of graph theory and percolation analysis for assessing change in the spatial configuration of pond networks

“…Across the United Kingdom (UK), 32% of ponds are estimated to have been lost over 120 years between 1880 and 2000: a rate of 0.27% per year (Biggs et al 2005 ). Losses have occurred in both rural and urban areas, however, the greatest loss (>80%) has been estimated for urban areas such as London between 1870 and 1984 (Langton 1985 ) and the city of Cardiff (Rich 1998 ) or areas of intensive agriculture (Beresford and Wade 1982 ). These major declines are likely to mask a relatively high turnover of sites as ponds are lost and gained over time (Williams et al 1998a ).…”

The conservation value of English urban ponds in terms of their rotifer fauna

“…Urban ponds appear to be a particularly undervalued resource ; Langton (1985) estimated that 90% of Londons ponds have been lost since 1890, leaving only about 1600 ponds in London's 400 square miles of urban and Green belt land . Furthermore, they can be subject to more intensive pressures than those in semi-natural areas, e .g .…”