Norfolk Ponds Project

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Norfolk Ponds Project

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The Norfolk Ponds Project aims to reverse the decline of Norfolk’s ponds so that agricultural landscapes contain a mosaic of clean water ponds with fewer ponds overgrown by trees and bushes.

14/10/2026

Two farmland ghost ponds experiencing their first spring for 150 years. These ponds were marked on a 1840s tithe map but filled in by the 1880s. Lenses of clear plant structured water that look like they were never lost.

We pioneered the ghost ponds approach in 2014 and it is now really catching on. Surely one of the most successful forms of ecological restoration known and so cheap and quick to do.

10/10/2026

In Norfolk Ponds Project we restore old overgrown farm ponds by scrub and mud removal so that they become dominated by aquatic plants. Every pond we restore offers something different - you never see the same pond twice! This hugely increases biodiversity in the landscape. Only 20,000 more ponds to go in Norfolk...

26/09/2026

Norfolk, as for most other pond-rich areas in Britain, is dominated by farm ponds covered in scrub and trees ('zombie ponds') which makes individual ponds and the wider pond landscape low in diversity. In just one day of tree and mud removal, these ponds can be rejuvinated and quickly get filled with a rich diversity of aquatic plants and associated invertebrates, amphibians and all sorts.

Since 2011 the Norfolk Ponds team & its partners must have restored 400+ of these ponds & we have pioneered the approach. This pond in Bodham, North Norfolk shows why we do it.

25/09/2026

Two Ghost Ponds back from the dead. After 5 days of digging ournorfolkcoast has 2 more ponds back. They will fill over winter & quickly become the most biodiverse patches in the landscape. Dug in the mid 1800s and filled in during the 1970s-80s, these were both steep and deep marl pit ponds. We have re-excavated them as they were, removed lots of rubbish & shallowed the edges a little. It might be our most challenging but best ever work to date. Bring on the rains please!!!

21/09/2026

Our "Coast Ghosts & Zombies Pilot" project is off to a flying start and we now have one ghost pond back from the undead! This morning we start on another smaller one in the next field - hidden in the arable weeds. The pond, an old marl pit dug in the 1800s, was filled in during the 1970s at the same time as a hedge was removed. We are expecting to find the remains of the hedge buried in the lost pond! The digger goes in at 8 am. More ponds coming to life Will Millard 👻. Thanks to ournorfolkcoast for funding us.

20/09/2026

Why do we resurrect ghost ponds?

See this farm pond on the Norfolk coast (eastern England) which was filled in >150 years ago before & 3 years after restoration (resurrection). Over 25 different wetland plants & buzzing with life. Ghost pond restoration is the most successful form of ecological restoration imaginable! You go from Nothing to Everything!!! Today we will finish restoring another one. Only 10,000 more to go in Norfolk...

19/09/2026

Coast Ghosts!!! We began our new "Coast Ghosts & Zombies Pilot" project today which will resurrect two lost infilled ghost ponds, restore one overgrown pond & create one new pond on the North Norfolk Coast. Our coast ghost pond today (which was filled in during the late 1980s) had us digging down 2.8 m until we hit the buried pond & a beautiful seed bank layer. In 2 years local & migrant birds will have more water & more emergent insect food. We are off to a flying start on day 1. We will update tomorrow when the ghost should be back from the undead!!! Thanks to the Norfolk Coast National Landscape ournorfolkcoast team for funding.

18/09/2026

Norfolk Ponds Project is in full fling. In the last few weeks, working with at least 50 volunteers, we have restored 12 overgrown farm ponds & 3 ancient ice age ghost ponds. This weekend we will be resurrecting two Norfolk "Coast Ghost" ponds to pilot a new proposed project. When you start digging out an old pond you never know what you will encounter, but often you get old bottles, farm machinery & sometimes interesting archaeology. We carefully record everything interesting that we find.

09/09/2026

Its Pond Week!!! We are in the middle of our annual pond restoration week aiming to restore 10 overgrown and terrestrialised arable farmland ponds in the River Glaven catchment in North Norfolk (we are 5 ponds in). These are what we call "Zombie" ponds. Our volunteers firstly go in and clear scrub, after which chainsaw and digger clear larger trees and dig out the mud. The work leads to massive increases in biodiversity for almost every living thing at the whole landscape scale. Plus the work is fun and brings hope and happiness.

03/09/2026

We are out restoring ancient Ice Age ghost ponds in Norfolk's Brecklands in a field bulldozed flat 50 years ago. Under the surface there are buried trees from ripped out hedges, barbed wire & all sorts of dumped soil. But underneath all of this debris we are carefully exposing buried organic deposits likely rich in viable seeds from rare wetland plants. In just one year this demolition site will look like a perfect pond!!!

Address

15 Palace Street
Norwich
NR31RT

Telephone

+447532695313

Website

https://norfolkponds.org/, https://forms.office.com/e/qQ9fE6tVjQ

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