With the ever increasing level of urban development the retention of blue and green spaces becomes more challenging. It is therefore important that we all take steps to help assist the environment we live because it will benefit us all. Building a garden pond is a positive step to help ecosystems thrive.

Garden ponds not only offer a sense of relaxation or a stunning feature in our garden, but they are also good for the environment with many ecological benefits. Garden ponds made using a pond liner to contain water or natural bog areas equally contribute to providing a tempoaray habitat and breeding ground for many invertebrates and amphibians.

Ecosystems are linked by water enabling plants to grow and provides a habitat for many species. Freshwater ecosystems such as ponds are an important component of urban green space. They make a substantial contribution to local species richness, especially for mobile invertebrates and amphibians by providing them temporary habitats. These creatures also like to move from pond to pond so the more gardens in an urban development housing ponds the greater the impact to ecosystems.

Benefits of garden ponds to our environment

• Attracts and supports local wildlife 
• By replacing some of your lawn to build a pond you conserve energy, save money and support the environment (calculations based on size of pond relative to size of garden) by reducing the area of lawn that requires maintenance. Mowing the lawn every week increases carbon emissions. Pesticides and fertiliser put on the lawn to make it look lush during the summer months risk polluting water systems via rainwater run-off. Lawns require watering during warm summer months whereas a pond can be topped-up with debris-free rainwater.
• Sludge collected from the bottom of a pond acts as a natural fertiliser which can be dug into your flower beds. The sludge contains lots of nutrients from fish droppings, decaying leaves and excess fish food.
• Ponds encourage our young generation to get close to nature by educating them on how natural systems work. The more we get involved in supporting our environment by building and maintaining a pond or water feature, the greater the chance of passing this legacy onto our children. 

A garden pond, whether lined with a flexible pond liner or a more formal tailored-to-fit liner – each type of pond will offer the same core benefits to our environment by supporting natural ecosystems. 

If you are planning to add blue space to your garden, contact Liners Online to order your pond liner and protective underlay. Pond pumps are also supplied.