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01/02/2012 14:31: Funding Boost for Durham Biodiversity Partnership

Durham Biodiversity Partnership has received a £119,841 funding boost from SITA Trust to carry out a 2 year project which will deliver a programme of pond restoration and creation across Gateshead, Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland.

SITA Trust provides funding through the Landfill Communities Fund. Funding is available for community and environmental groups to carry out a range of improvement projects.

The funding will enable will enable a range of work to be undertaken at 33 existing ponds which are currently degraded and silted up. This will included clearance of vegetation, removal of silt and creation of areas of open water which will provide improved habitats for BAP species including Great Crested Newts, Grass Snakes, Water Voles and Otters. The project will also result in 39 new ponds being created, which will help to offset the long term trend in pond losses over the last century.

Several partners are involved in the project including Durham Wildlife Trust, the Forestry Commission, the Friends of Chopwell Woods, Gateshead Council, Durham County Council, South Tyneside Council, and Sunderland City Council. These partners are working with Durham Biodiversity Partnership to deliver the project works over the next 2 years.

Over 75% of the ponds that existed at the beginning of the 20th Century have now been lost, whilst recent survey date highlights that 80% of remaining ponds are in a poor or very poor condition. The project will help to restore good ecological condition to degraded ponds and create new ponds that link to existing wetland areas, which will result in a healthy pond network that supports a range of BAP species.

Helen Ryde of Durham Biodiversity Partnership said "Ponds are really important freshwater habitats that are often undervalued. They support more rare and protected species than rivers, lakes or ditches yet have been subject to intense pressure within the landscape. This project will help restore the network of ponds in the local area, which provide important stepping-stones for wildlife such as dragonflies, water voles, toads and newts to move across the landscape".

Jools Granville of SITA Trust said "Our panel of wildlife experts was very impressed with this application. It is a very ambitious and well planned project that will create a lot of habitat over a large area and we are very much looking forward to being the funding partner in it.’