Eight derelict dew ponds in Hampshire and Sussex have been restored thanks to an investment exceeding £90,000 from the South Downs National Park Trust.

Stagnation and falling water levels linked to climate change had impacted these pivotal ecological habitats. Now, they are flourishing with wildlife such as toads, dragonflies, and various plant species.

Plans are underway to breathe life back into two more ponds near Emsworth, aimed at supporting white turtle dove populations.

The restoration effort is credited to the "Pounds for Ponds" initiative which, launched a year ago, aims to revive about 100 dew ponds across the South Downs National Park.

Butterfly Conservation was granted £13,000 to refurbish a dew pond at Magdalen Hill Down, near Winchester. In its inaugural year, Pounds for Ponds amassed £200,000, indicating future restoration projects are plausible.

Chantry Hill Pond before the work Chantry Hill Pond before the work (Image: Tom Garriock)

Chantry Hill Pond after the workChantry Hill Pond after the work (Image: Tom Garriock)

Contributions came from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Bannister Trust, BMW, Swire Charitable Trust, and individual donors. The ambition is to raise an estimated £1m to restore 100 dew ponds.

Jan Knowlson, biodiversity officer for the National Park, said: “Seeing these restored dew ponds springing back to life is absolutely amazing and just shows how nature can flourish if given the chance.

“There actually used to be around 1,000 dew ponds across the South Downs landscape, but this number has fallen dramatically over the past century.

“Restoring these bodies of water is a really good way of tackling biodiversity loss because these ponds support almost three quarters of all freshwater species found in lowland landscapes like the South Downs.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has donated to make these restorations possible and we’re excited to be able to restore even more in the future. Pounds for Ponds is just one strand of the National Park’s ongoing ReNature initiative and a concerted effort over the past three years has seen huge amounts of new habitat being created including woodlands, hedgerows, wetlands and wildflower meadows.”