Nidderdale Wetland Creation project has now delivered 26 of the 52 new ponds funded by the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme. So far it has also:
– restored 5 ponds
– created 3740m2 of wetland habitat
– created 6401m2 of scrapes
The new ponds will provide habitat to a wide range of wildlife, provide connectivity and a support a landscape recovery approach of freshwater habitats.
Project Officer, Christy Irish, said: “We’ve been rather fortunate that so far, the weather has been on our side. The dry autumn has made implementing the wetland creation works easier than if we had been delivering the works at the same time last year.
“Despite the lack of rain, many ponds have already filled and wildlife such as beetles and dragonflies have been observed either in or around the new ponds.
“Once works have been delivered, we’re conducting baseline surveys at each site, to allow us to measure the habitat gain in future years. We’re also equipping each farmer / land manager involved in the project with a bespoke Management Plan to support them going forward.”
