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How to Build a Pond in the 'Year of the Frog'06/03/2008 13:43:45Help the wildlife in your garden - Build a pond At this time of year frogs are beginning to congregate in ponds to breed and spawn. Public Relations Officer of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Rachel Shaw, said: ‘Virtually everyone can recognise a frog. For many of us they were a feature of our childhood: whether rearing tadpoles or from our storybooks and TV. It may be stating the obvious but frogs need ponds. They spawn in still waters and garden ponds are ideal. For children to continue to have real experiences of frogs, rather than from only drawings or digitally animated crazy frogs, we need garden ponds. Ponds that are rich in wildlife and where children are free to enjoy them.’ Ideal Pond The ideal pond for frogs and other amphibians should have a deep section (around 1m) for them to hibernate in, and lots of shallow (less than 20cm deep) water for them to spawn in. There shouldn't be fish in the pond as goldfish in particular will quickly finish off tadpoles and frogspawn, whilst even tiny sticklebacks are likely to prevent newts from breeding. Once a pond has been made in a garden, generally speaking the watery inhabitants will make their own way to it. Sometimes amphibians appear in astonishingly high numbers. Rachel Shaw continued: ‘Never be tempted to move spawn or tadpoles between ponds. Ponds may appear to be overflowing with spawn but there is no need to worry. Spawn is produced in such large quantities because the mortality rate is high. By moving spawn as you may also be transferring invasive aquatic plant species, spreading amphibian diseases which can wipe out entire frog populations locally, or moving it to an unsuitable habitat.’ 800,000 Ponds Have Disappeared The first pond counts in Britain, which took place at the beginning of the 20th century, recorded 1.2 million ponds. There are now about 400,000 ponds. Lots of people have garden ponds but little is known about where they are or how good they are for wildlife. Worldwide Frog Populations Threatened by Fungus A major threat to frogs and other amphibians globally is a parasite fungus called amphibian chytrid - a disease that is deadly to hundreds of species. Chytrid has been found in at a small number of sites the UK but it is not known how widespread it is or how it will affect our amphibians. This year Natural England, the Institute of Zoology and The Herpetological Conservation Trust are jointly working on a chytrid screening project known as the Big Frog Swab.
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