A study on the Spree River shows that aquatic #plants can stabilise water levels in both the river and the floodplain, thereby compensating for a drier climate. This is relevant for lowland #rivers which are increasingly affected by water scarcity. Read more at: www.igb-berlin.de/en/news/posi...
Posts by Richard Walton
Wetlands provide numerous beneficial services for people and wildlife. Some of these services include:
🐟 Providing habitat for wildlife
💧 Protecting and improving water quality
🌊 Storing floodwaters and reducing flood risks
🌱 Maintaining surface water flow during dry periods
#CelebratingWetlands
A bat detector next to a restored pond in winter. It sits above a bullrush bed & points at open water
A bat detector next to a restored pond in winter
Do #bats visit restored farm #ponds vs. overgrown farm ponds & the surrounding landscape preferentially in winter? Well @davidjd.bsky.social & @stephenmulvey.bsky.social of @uclgeography.bsky.social & Norfolk Ponds are working on this @batconservation.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social
On the edges of rivers, along vast coastlines and in the heart of dense forests, wetlands breathe life into our planet.
Wetlands have always been more than just ecosystems, they are places of hope and resilience, and by working together we can ensure they continue to thrive well into the future.
Deadline for abstract submission is the 15th Feb 2026 ! submit here : register.inquaindia2027.in
🌿At @ramsar.org #STRP28, speaking for the IOPs, IWMI’s Chaturangi highlighted wetlands as indispensable water infrastructure, linking the hydrological cycle and serving as natural buffers from extreme weather, making their protection a global priority.
@unccd.bsky.social @wwf.org.uk
In our new review in WIREs WATER, we synthesize knowledge on ecosystem (dis)services, multifunctionality, and trade‐offs in urban ponds and highlight garden ponds as a specific subtype that deserves more attention
🏙️🔵🏡
doi.org/10.1002/wat2...
@epcn.bsky.social
Check out the summary of our new research in @jappliedecology.bsky.social led by Patrick Cook with @nigelwillby.bsky.social @dralanlaw.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk
phys.org/news/2025-11...
In Belém, Brazil, the spotlight has turned to one of the most overlooked foundations of climate and water security: wetlands. For the Convention on Wetlands, this moment is crucial.
Read the feature article by Dr Musonda Mumba: www.ramsar.org/news/cop30-e...
#WetlandsWednesday #COP30Belem
🌊 Wetlands regulate the planet’s hydrological rhythm, storing & releasing water in ways that sustain ecosystems. To meet global climate goals, wetlands must move from the margins of discussion to the centre of action.
Details: www.ramsar.org/news/cop30-e...
#WetlandsWednesday #COP30
The great Helen Greaves representing us at the Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership Community Biodiversity Fair today @theforumnorwich.bsky.social promoting ponds, #pond restoration & of course #ghostpond resurrection
Many volunteers smiling in an overgrown pond
1/4: We restored the biggest Norfolk farmland #pond we have ever worked on over the last 3 days. 50 x 25 m. Huge amounts of willow was removed by our volunteers followed by much chainsaw work @patrickbarkham.bsky.social
Just a reminder that abstract submission date for #IPAIAL2025 has been extended to May 30th! Why not submit an abstract to our special session on Resilience and recovery in #lake systems across time and space?😉. We hope to see a wide variety of #research on this topic. ialipa-2025.sciencesconf.org
A true #conservation hero! A man worried about his village eroding into Gulf of Thailand began to plant #mangroves 25 years ago. Now a great #forest & the work continues! They also remove rubbish that accumulates in the mangroves from tides & #river inwash. Over 5.2 metric tonnes removed last year!
Don’t let the #UNCCRD White Paper produced from this summit “just be another document. Let it be a declaration that the degradation of our deltas will no longer be tolerated.” H.E. Senator Douye Diri. A most excellent sentiment! #river #deltas
Attending my first ever UN Convention, which just happens to be the first ever UN Convention on Conserving River Deltas! Will be presenting some of my results from my #livingdeltas #research as part of wider discussion on what needs to be done to make #river #deltas more resilient. #UNCCRD
3-5 Sept 2025: 5th International Conference on Community Ecology is coming to Budapest, Hungary!
www.akcongress.com/comec/
A pleasure to be involved in this paper, which turned out to be quite a tricky analysis!
Same data, different analysts: variation in effect sizes due to analytical decisions in ecology and evolutionary biology
bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
I've posted a new video on YouTube that gives a brief overview of the new conditional_values() function in my gratia #RStats 📦
I plan to do more of these videos over the next few weeks & months. Make sure you're subscribed if you want to be notified as they get posted.
youtu.be/iKG0aHWpTAo
Distribution and proportion of the nine conservation action categories across 26 regions.
A Review from Haase et al summarizes freshwater conservation efficacy. Freshwater conservation appears to have lower frequency of positive outcomes compared to marine and terrestrial conservation. The authors offer insights for improvement in the future! go.nature.com/4h4oKm1
What could restoring #ponds possibly do for landscape-scale conservation?
Pond Restoration vs Creation. Restoration gets you plant-filled ponds quicker due to seedbanks & helps nearby created ponds gain plants more quickly. Creating ponds is best when existing ponds are rare. Science says BOTH approaches needed
New paper alert 🥳 We reviewed 60 applied palaeolimnology papers to look at their accessibility and value for conservation practitioners 📜 🧵
Huge thanks to all who helped to review extracts for the research! @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social @uclgeography.bsky.social @springernature.bsky.social
A very nice paper on changes in temporal beta diversity of diving beetles in urban ponds.
Connectivity is good for maintaining resilience, but urbanisation is driving species loss overall.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Lets not forget about #lakes in conservation. Of all the stillwater habitats lakes are most important for freshwater biodiversity & hence deserve more attention. New research just published: link.springer.com/article/10.1... @dralanlaw.bsky.social
The most successful form of #pond conservation is the re-excavation of deliberately infilled #ghostponds. Here = 2 years of colonisation in a Norfolk ice age #ghost filled in for farming. An incredible pond results at fierce speed! @timholtwilson.bsky.social @hayleymcmechan.bsky.social
Not many species in a #ghostpond before it is restored... I rest my case.
POND GHOSTS & ZOMBIES. A film on our #pond #restoration #Ghostponds work in @uclgeography.bsky.social by RAZOR Science featuring Norfolk Ponds Project, Helen Greaves, myself & many. Pond restoration achieves nature recovery so quickly: youtu.be/SYkbDdaUMBY?...