Improve connectivity and functionality of green and blue infrastructures

H2020 PONDERFUL: a technical handbook on pond and pondscape restoration, management and creation

Despite their critical importance for biodiversity and significant potential as nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation, ponds and pondscapes have traditionally been undervalued and overlooked.

The Horizon2020 PONDERFUL project brought together an international consortium to investigate the potential of these small habitats as nature-based solutions. This new knowledge, along with existing expertise from the PONDERFUL partners, has been brought together into a new technical handbook.

Ponds and Pondscapes: A technical guide to the use of ponds...


H2020 PONDERFUL: new policy maker guidance on ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions

Despite their critical importance for biodiversity and potential as nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation, ponds and pondscapes are not well represented in policy. Most freshwater legislation is biased towards rivers, with ponds largely being ignored.

The Horizon 2020 PONDERFUL project has revealed more about the importance of ponds for wildlife and people and, to make this accessible to policy makers, the partnership produced a policy guidance document: sing ponds and pondscapes as nature-based solutions: Guidance for policy makers on the...


H2020 PONDERFUL: Pinkhill Meadow NBS: a small but highly valuable floodplain pondscape for biodiversity

One of the many ponds in the Pinkhill Meadow complex

This pondscape of newly created ponds is located in a floodplain meadow on Thames Water's Farmoor Reservoir property, on the banks of the River Thames, near Oxford. It was designed by Freshwater Habitats Trust to maximise freshwater biodiversity and has been closely monitored as a partnership since its creation in 1990.

The results show the exceptional value of the site for wetland plants, aquatic invertebrates, mammals, reptiles and birds, maintained over 35 years.


“ H2020 PONDERFUL: Water Friendly Farming NBS: a pondscape for biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services

New clean water ponds that provide a significant biodiversity gain in this agricultural landscape

This pondscape is located in a farmland near Leicester. All waterbodies in three upper catchments have been monitored since 2010. The results show an underlying  landscape-wide decline in freshwater plant biodiversity of 0.5-1% pa. However doubling the number of clean-water ponds turned the decline around:  producing a steep increase in richness and tripled the number of uncommon species.


Ökológiai szemléletű zöldfelület-fenntartás a fővárosi Pünkösdfürdő Parkban

© Ferenc Albert Szigeti

A fővárosi zöldinfrastruktúra fejlesztését és fenntartását meghatározó Radó Dezső Terv kiemelt prioritása a klímaadaptáció erősítése és a biodiverzitás növelése, mindezt a Fővárosi Önkormányzat a lakossággal szoros partnerségben kívánja elérni. A biológiai sokféleséget, a klímaadaptációt és a környezeti nevelést egyaránt támogató, magyarországi mércével mindenképpen mérföldkőnek számító, de európai viszonylatban is innovatív megoldásai miatt magas szakmai elismerésben részesült Pünkösdfürdő Park tájépítészeti üzenete és célja az, hogy a hagyományos agrár tájhasználatot becsempéssze a...





H2020 PONDERFUL: the "Rhone genevois" NBS : multifunctionality at the pondscape scale

The"Bouvières" pond has been created for leisures activities such as walking and fishing.

15 large ponds (5000m2 to 30’000m2) as well as many medium and small sized ponds have been created between 1970 and 2018. Some ponds have been dug to rehabilitate and recreate natural habitats in brownfields and others to create recreational activities such as swimming and fishing. They depict the multiple roles a pondscape can play. 

The objective of the spatial delimitation of these pond uses is to promote simultaneously the protection of pond biodiversity and the delivering of numerous NCPs.


The CLEVER Way: Hamburg, Neugraben-Fischbek

The CLEVER Cities project identified the primary planning goals for Neugraben-Fischbek district located in the South-West of the city of Hamburg was to: (a) creating a connective ‘Green Corridor’ to link a system of NbS interventions; (b) establishing horizontal greenery through the construction of green roofs on existing buildings; and (c) address the topic of environmental education and connect the youth with nature. 

Hamburg has aimed at addressing the following challenges, including:

  • Increase biodiversity and nature in the city: To address this, the city

  • ...

Pages