Pond restoration work gets underway to boost newt populations in Wales

Work has got underway to restore ponds and habitats to boost the populations of great crested newt and and other amphibian populations across the northeast of Wales.

The restoration work on failing ponds across Flintshire will focus on three areas within the protected Mynydd Helygain / Halkyn Mountain Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Halkyn Common and Holywell Grasslands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Work will also take place at Holywell Golf Club, Moel y Crio, and at several ponds in the Wern y Gaer/Berth Ddu area.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) officers have worked closely with Holywell Golf Club and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) to plan the project.

Contractors will scrape the ponds to remove overgrown vegetation and increase depth and size. They will also manage the habitat around the pond edges.

The work is part of wider plans to restore at least twenty ponds across northeast of Wales with further work due to start in 2024.

European Protected Species

Great crested newts are a European Protected Species. The animals and their eggs, breeding sites and resting places are protected by law. They are threatened by loss of breeding ponds through destruction or degradation of water quality, loss and fragmentation of terrestrial habitat and a rise in non-native invasive weeds.

This work will be undertaken by Wildbanks Conservation and is supported by the Welsh Government’s Nature Networks Fund. The fund has ambitions to strengthen the resilience of Wales’ network of protected land and marine sites, supporting nature’s recovery while actively encouraging community engagement.

Christina Sheehan, NRW’s Lead Advisor on the project, said: “We look forward to getting started on this work as we aim to boost great crested newt and other amphibian populations across Flintshire.

“We are currently experiencing a nature emergency and it is essential we have resilient ecosystems to support species and habitats.

“Once completed the newly restored ponds will offer amphibians better habitats for breeding and areas where they can hibernate.

“We have worked closely with partners to try and ensure we provide a crucial helping hand to a rich array of amphibian species whilst further enhancing Flintshire’s biodiversity.”