A new pond is being created to enhance biodiversity.
It will be at the former golf course at Waterhall on the edge of Brighton.
Brighton and Hove City council’s Cityparks team has been tasked with creating the pond.
It will be a dew pond, which is a shallow pool made on downs where surface drainage is inadequate.
The pilot project was awarded a £25,000 grant from the council's carbon neutral fund in October.
According to the council, the new pond will help increase biodiversity and will be an important freshwater link across the council’s Downland Estate and the wider South Downs National Park.
“There has been an 84 per cent collapse in freshwater species populations since 1970. That alarming statistic means we must take action to protect and nurture wetland habitats," said Jamie Lloyd, Brighton and Hove's lead councillor for biodiversity.
“Dew ponds are a part of the history of the South Downs and creating a new pond will have many benefits. They are the unsung heroes of the natural world and are in the front line of climate action, supporting wildlife and capturing harmful emissions.”
It is estimated that 39 per cent of dewponds in the South Downs region have been lost, and many more are no longer visible in the landscape.
The pond will also provide opportunities for children to discover the wildlife that lives below its surface.
Dew ponds attract migrating birds, thirsty mammals, and breeding frogs, toads, newts and dragonflies in the spring.
They can be hotspots for many types of wildlife and plants that rely on wetlands, and they provide a stepping stone for species as they move across the landscape.
“Having a network of dew ponds on our doorstep will be a fantastic opportunity to engage the next generation about the positive effects of acting on climate change and protecting biodiversity," said Cllr Lloyd.
"The council is proud to be part of a network of local organisations and community groups working together to expand this freshwater life support system across the South Downs.”
The pond will be created by council rangers through winter and spring so that it can fill with natural rainwater.
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