Ponds: conservation through a better management of environmental impacts. Diversion: an optimal management?

Abstract : French ponds suffer from bad press regarding their environmental impact. In the context of aquatic environments protection, their survival is in jeopardy. Their management in order to reduce the hazard seems the only way to ensure their maintenance. To achieve this, water managers advocate the diversion described as the best way. But no scientific study corroborates their statements. That is why we propose a thermal study in the long-term of three ponds in the Loire headwater catchment. Indeed, temperature is a key parameter in water quality and a remarkable indicator. Given the results from more than 51,000 unpublished data, we argue that in this time scale, regardless of types of diversion ponds, this management can reduce or even remove the thermal impact ponds.