Identifying Important Areas for Ponds (IAPs) in Northern Ireland

 

Dragonfly spp.

Project code 

QU09-03

Contact

Dr. Neil Reid

Project Staff

Dr. Jane Preston

Client

NIEA

Client Officer(s)

John Early

Collaborator(s)

Pond Conservation

Start date

01/01/2009

End date

30/06/2009

Ponds were identified as a new priority habitat under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan in August 2007. Following the first meeting of the Pond Habitat Action Plan (HAP) Steering Group in November 2007, a new draft Pond HAP was developed and launched during 2008.

 

The Pond HAP Steering group is jointly led by Environment Agency and Pond Conservation and includes representatives from the statutory conservation and water management agencies in the UK: Countryside Council for Wales, Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), Natural England, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage. The Herpetological Conservation Trust provides additional representation for NGOs with an interest in ponds.

 

The Pond HAP identifies four main targets for pond conservation in the UK:  

  • Maintain the number of priority pond sites
  • Maintain the quality of flagship pond sites
  • Restore pond sites priority status to deliver Species Action Plan targets
  • Create new pond sites of high quality potential

An essential precursor to enable delivery of these targets is identification of the location of priority ponds and the identification of ‘Important Areas for Ponds’ (IAPs). IAPs are geographical areas with significant numbers of high quality ponds which, at a landscape level, are likely to be the focus of pond protection and pond creation activity.

 

This is a 6 month collaborative project between the Natural Heritage Research Partnership (NHRP) and environmental charity Pond Conservation and funded by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). The project aims to:  

  1. Define what constitutes a priority pond in Northern Ireland
  2. Collate existing data
  3. Analyse datasets to identify priority ponds and define Important Areas for Ponds
  4. Consult on proposed Important Areas for Ponds
  5. Develop and prepare logical recommendations for future survey work to further HAP implementation 
This Natural Heritage Research Partnership (NHRP) project is funded by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and subcontracted to environmental charity Pond Conservation