However I really do believe that making your garden a pesticide-free zone is probably the most important contribution you can make to wildlife conservation. At the local level the poisons that we feed into the bottom of the food chain are very likely to damage the whole garden ecosystem and on a global scale scientists are now finding our familiar garden chemicals in lethal concentrations in the body fat of polar bears beyond the Arctic circle. Organic gardening and wildlife gardening must go hand in hand. I've got two children aged five and seven but would really love a pond. I'm a little worried from the safety angle.
Every year there are accidents in which toddlers drown in garden ponds.
However once a child reaches the age of five or so, they can be taught water safety. On balance, I think you are OK to go ahead but make sure your children understand the dangers. They will certainly get huge pleasure and learn a lot from observing wildife in their own pond. This year the Wildlife Trusts created a pond in the garden of No. 10 Downing Street and in order to protect baby Leo they surrounded it with a fence. Make sure you have a lot of oxygenating plants below the surface.