Nature-loving locals are cleaning and planting around local ponds to save frogs and toads in Perthshire this winter.
Their aim is to create a more habitable environment for amphibian and insect populations by clearing out excessive plants and seeding wildflowers.
Persephone Beer volunteered at the first pond-clearing event earlier this month.
She said: “It was great to be doing something positive to improve the pond for wildlife.
“I really enjoyed volunteering and hope to encourage more people to come along in the future.”
Volunteers from Tayside Biodiversity Partnership, the Tayside Amphibian & Reptile Group and the BDS (British Dragonfly Society) will work together to improve a series of ponds.
Daniele Muir is leading the different events.
She said: “We have lost half a million ponds in the UK over the past 100 years and many of those remaining are in poor condition.
“This sort of volunteering is not just fun, it’s a vital aspect of managing these lovely ponds.”
Toads are in national population decline
This “vital” operation also serves another key purpose.
“It’s worrying that what we consider as common wildlife – such as toads and frogs – are in fact suffering major population declines and much of this is loss of habitat,” Daniele continued.
“Toads, for instance, have experienced a national decline of nearly 70%: they are now considered a UK Priority Species.”
There a number of reasons behind the fall in the number of toads.
This includes the loss of ponds, urbanisation and climate change.
Warmer winters are bad news for hibernating toads.
This means the actions of humans are having a negative impact on wildlife. Getting involved in volunteering programmes like this is a way to combat this.
The first volunteering session took place on December 2nd at North Inch Pond in Perth.
To get involved with the the volunteer programme, get in touch with Daniele at taysidepondsproject@gmail.com.
The organisers are also looking for volunteers keen to keep an eye on the pond in the future.
You can get involved by downloading their Pooling our Ponds survey Welcome Pack.
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