New ponds and wetlands will benefit wildlife and people in mid-Wales - Freshwater Habitats Trust

Farmers, landowners and communities across mid-Wales are working with Freshwater Habitats Trust to create ponds and wetlands that will bring clean water, richer wildlife and opportunities for people to connect with nature.

With its partners, the charity is creating 20 new ponds and three new wetlands across the River Irfon catchment. Due to be completed in March, they will provide high-quality, unpolluted habitat for freshwater plants and animals that are declining across much of the UK.

Stretching from Abergwesyn to Builth Wells, the River Irfon catchment has been identified by Freshwater Habitats Trust as an Important Freshwater Area – one of the places in England or Wales that is richest in freshwater biodiversity.

While parts of the catchment support exceptional wildlife, this is limited to the streams, ponds and fens that have clean water and are well managed.

Like many areas of Wales and England, many small freshwaters have become polluted or have been lost completely from the landscape, leaving freshwater species struggling to survive.