Willow Pond

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The pond on the grounds of RBGE in Edinburgh is a favourite spot for visitors to rest, paint, take pictures, or catch sight of herons and kingfishers. It is also hard at work as a nature-based solution. Planted with care and the right water-loving and aquatic plants, ponds act like massive raingardens that hold onto and help filter stormwater runoff. Plants of different heights on pond edges and below the surface help improve the water, and invertebrates, plankton, and birds increase the biodiversity. At the same time, humans have a lovely water feature to watch the birds and enjoy the beauty.

Our pond is fed by a natural spring, where water pressure causes a natural flow of groundwater onto the surface in the garden. On a map of the garden from 1871, we can see the spring indicated as a burn that runs off towards the Water of Leith. This small water course now runs through culverts under the ground. The pond has been identified as a feature where modification of the surrounding landscape features could boost stormwater management performance, benefiting the wider city by reducing stormwater input to the Water of Leith. Strategically designed as a nature-based solution, measures to increase stormwater retention could also enhance the biodiversity the pond supports, the recreational opportunities that it provides, and the plant collection that it accommodates.

Publications and Further Information:

Krivtsov, V., Birkinshaw, S., Arthur, S., Knott, D., Monfries, R., Wilson, K., Christie, D., Chamberlain, D., Brownless, P., Kelly, D. and Buckman, J., 2020. Flood resilience, amenity and biodiversity benefits of an historic urban pond. Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences, 378(2168), p.20190389. LINK: Flood resilience, amenity and biodiversity benefits of an historic urban pond - PMC

Krivtsov, V., Arthur, S., Buckman, J., Kraiphet, A., Needham, T., Gu, W., Gogoi, P. and Thorne, C., 2020. Characterisation of suspended and sedimented particulate matter in blue-green infrastructure ponds. Blue-Green Systems, 2(1), pp.214-236. LINK: Characterisation of suspended and sedimented particulate matter in blue-green infrastructure ponds | Blue-Green Systems | IWA Publishing