International Pond Conference 2024

CONFERENCE THEMES

Science

Ponds and regulation of climate

• Pond effects on climate: Pond carbon storage, greenhouse gas emissions, other relationships (eg pond cooling of urban areas)
• Pond biodiversity and climate: Relationships between pond biodiversity and climate change – where climate is a main focus of the results

The value of ponds and pondscapes for biodiversity

• Including inter alia their value for rare and endangered taxa, and their value compared to other freshwater habitat types

Threats to pond diversity

• The main factors affecting pond biodiversity e.g. pollution, introduced species.Talks could focus on threats to specific pond types (e.g. temporary ponds, alpine ponds), and/or specific species/groups. Multi-factorial studies which include climate as a minor element can be included here.

Modelling and assessment of ponds

• Modelling and mapping ponds, pond environments or biota, links to landscape change and development of scenarios that assist with pond and pondscape assessment.

Ponds’ contributions to regulatory and support services

• The role of ponds in providing ecosystem services (excluding biodiversity) including:
  • Regulation of hazards and extreme events
  • Regulation of freshwater quantity
  • Regulation of freshwater quality
  • Pollination, food and feed

Ponds’ contribution to wellbeing

• The outcomes of research into ways that ponds benefit people in terms of their holistic wellbeing. Including:
  • Physical and psychological experiences
  • Learning and inspiration
  • Supporting identities

Practitioner focused – research that helps practitioners

This session focuses on how lessons learnt from pond science can be practically applied to inform and support the practices of land managers and advisors.

Maintaining and increasing pond biodiversity

• Evidence-based ways to maintain or increase pond biodiversity (pond species, biotic groups, or assemblages). Talks may be specific to particular pond types e.g. temporary ponds. Includes:
  • Increasing biodiversity value through physical pond creation and management
  • Practical implications from improved understanding of factors that influence biodiversity value such as how to improve water quality (e.g. buffer zones), manage shade, grazing, manage surrounding landscapes.
  • Other information or lessons learnt relevant to practitioners: e.g. new survey and assessment tools, successful use of eDNA approaches

Using ponds to maintain and increase landscape scale biodiversity

• How to design, create or manage ponds or pondscapes to deliver biodiversity benefits to the wider landscape (eg pollinators, or freshwater biodiversity benefits more generally, including in the face of threats such as climate change).

Maximising the value of ponds as nature-based solutions

• How ponds can be practically managed, located or designed to support and increase their value as nature-based solutions. Topics include:
  • Regulation of climate, water quality and quantity
  • Psychological, education, well-being etc

Ponds in policy and legislation

Implications for policy for pond science

• To further the integration of ponds into policy and legislation at national and international levels, particularly by understanding:
  • the context – what’s been achieved in policy terms so far;
  • what are the gaps and what needs to be achieved;
  • barriers to integration into policy
  • opportunities and routeways
  • Finance and cost-benefits

Country-based examples should ideally focus on routeways that brought success and generalisable lessons learnt.