Ponds, pools and puddles are a common sight in our landscape and play a very important part in sustaining wildlife. In Volume 148 of the New Naturalist Series, the authors provide a comprehensive survey of the variety of plants and animal life for which these wetlands are a habitat, and discuss the way in which they are used, their importance, and the varied life cycles of associated wildlife. Ponds, Pools and Puddles makes an invaluable contribution to raising awareness of these popular, yet frequently underrated, freshwater habitats and gives them the attention they rightly deserve. 

Jeremy Biggs and Penny Williams work for the Freshwater Habitats Trust, an independent conservation organisation supported by WWF UK. They have been involved in numerous research projects, publications and conferences on the ecology and management of ponds and other freshwater habitats. 

We recently had the opportunity to talk to Jeremy and Penny about how they became interested in ponds, whether they think technological advances will play an important role in future pond research, and more.

In Cull of the Wild, author Hugh Warwick investigates the ethical and practical challenges of managing invasive species to increase biodiversity. He explores the complicated history of species control over time, while also combining scientific theory and subtle humour, to explain the many issues conservationists face when trying to protect native species from their non-native rivals.

Hugh Warwick is an ecologist, conservationist and writer who specialises in the study of hedgehogs. He has published three books focusing on these mammals, but recently expanded his field of study to include invasive species while writing Cull of the Wild. He has written for BBC Wildlife, New Scientist, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, is the spokesperson for the Hedgehog Preservation Society, runs courses on hedgehog conservation, and lectures in creative writing.