RDE628 Analysis of agri-environment pond eDNA samples for pond metric developme

Natural England's AES Evidence Programme has commissioned a survey of over 100 ponds, including 40 buffered and 40 unbuffered ponds covering both arable and improved grassland systems. All ponds are not actively managed to assess whether management of the surrounding land parcel is sufficient to ensure good quality ponds. The ponds will be surveyed using the modified PondNet environmental survey and wetland plant survey, and water quality analysis will also be undertaken. This will enable PSYM analysis to determine if the pond is in good condition based on its ecology, whilst the water quality analysis will illustrate the efficacy of buffers. Water samples will also be taken from each pond for DNA analysis. In collaboration with partners at the Environment Agency, Cefas, Freshwater Habitats Trust, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and Bowburn Consultancy, Natural England will combine DNA data from the AES ponds with DNA data from our national, long-term programmes which survey ponds every year (e.g. District Level Licensing, England Ecosystem Survey, GenePools, etc.) to develop novel metrics for assessing the ecological condition of ponds to enable landscape-scale decision-making. These data will contribute to natural capital accounting and 25 Year Environment Plan indicators, monitoring and evaluation of policy interventions including Environmental Land Management scheme, Nature Recovery and Net Gain, ground data for Living England, and remote sensing applications for condition assessment.