Is your pond a threat to wildlife?

The accidental or deliberate movement of plants or animals around the world by man has been responsible for the global extinction of many species.

The British countryside hasn't escaped as many species from overseas are now on the rampage creating havoc for wildlife and their habitats. And the news today suggests that our ponds are in the front line of this battle.

Today's launch of the Be Plant Wise campaign, with the support of celebrity gardener Charlie Dimmock, is a welcome start in the control of the non-native pond plants that are choking many wetlands, including several notable RSPB reserves across the UK.

One of the worst offenders is the innocuous-sounding New Zealand pigmyweed, which has escaped from the confines of garden ponds and is now affecting many sites across the UK, altering the environment of wetlands and excluding native plants. Individually, the plants may be pigmies, but en masse these, and other non-native plants, are creating yet another conservation headache we have to deal with while managing over 200 nature reserves for birds and other wildlife.

The main aim of the campaign, which has received widespread press attention, is to urge gardeners to be careful when disposing of these plants or when clearing out ponds.