Today’s post is by Mirran Trimble who is a trainee with Froglife, a wildlife charity dedicated to protecting amphibians and reptiles, as well as the habitats they depend on. Mirran will be leading an exhibition stall at COP26, and she will be sharing her progress through a series of blogs during the coming weeks. As ever with our blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily those of NAEE.
With COP26 fast-approaching, there is a lot of buzz and excitement for the conference which is to be held in Glasgow this year. After COP26 was postponed in 2020, it is now even more critical that we re-focus our attention on the looming climate crisis. Time for action is running out. We must make the most of COP26, and the enthusiasm generated in the run-up, to take bold and drastic action against climate change.
Here at Froglife we are beyond thrilled to have been selected to run an Exhibition Stand at COP26 in collaboration with the British Dragonfly Society. We will be highlighting the key role that ponds play as carbon sinks through absorbing and storing carbon, often with the same efficiency as woodlands. Even small ponds make excellent carbon sinks, and this is something that people can easily create in their own gardens or community spaces. If lots of people take action in this way the benefits could be huge – and this is what we want to encourage!
For these reasons, we will be teaching people about the importance of ponds at COP26. Our exhibition stand in the Green Zone will contain a number of engaging activities, in particular our interactive model ponds which will see participants using our hand-made pond props to create their vision of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ ponds. Our goal is to stimulate discussion on the benefits of ponds as carbon sinks and for biodiversity. As pond experts, our team can also guide people in how to create their own ponds and answer any questions.
Ponds are fantastic as carbon sinks, for biodiversity, and for education! This pond and dipping platform shown above were created by Froglife at Muiravonside Country Park in Falkirk, Scotland.
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Mirran can be contacted at Mirran.Trimble@froglife.org