MCA is focusing on all things water this year and as part of that effort we are launching the first ever Moorlands Pond Map. Ponds are a vital part of the natural ecosystem but they are often overlooked. The map – based on a survey - will help restore ponds to their rightful place. The full survey will be launched shortly but for now we are inviting MCA followers to plot the location of nearby ponds by using what3words and then send the link to
These ponds could be in your garden, at your school or college, at your place of work, in your local park or field or on your allotment. The map will then be available on MCA's website and displayed at the HuG Moorlands Green Arts Festival on Saturday 27 June at the Foxlowe.
We will also be gathering data on the wildlife that lives in and around the mapped ponds. Precise details of how this will be done will be firmed up shortly but it’s likely that we will employ the easy-to-use iNaturalist phone app. This would ensure that verified wildlife sightings can be logged to the Staffordshire Ecological Record, the map and database that serves the backbone of all decisions on nature recovery and planning in the county.
Most of all, though, we hope that the Pond Map project will be a fun way of reconnecting people with one more vital element of our natural treasures.