I agree with the need for protection of the vital habitat wildlife ponds create (Editorial, 24 July). One challenge to framing adequate legislation may be that some natural ponds tend to come and go. Many will dry out and gradually convert to boggy ground as plants take over, and new ponds will form.
The Latin name for the common frog is Rana temporaria (temporary frog), reflecting that some of the pools in which frogs breed are not permanent. Thus we are trying to shield a moving target, which is more complicated than a wood, a river or a meadow that generally stay put. Of course, some ponds, like the Norfolk pingo ponds, are truly ancient and therefore easier to define and hence protect. The transitory nature of natural ponds may require a belt-and-braces approach that combines protection for places and for individual species.
