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Mediterranean temporary ponds are unique ecosystems of high biodiversity considered by the European Habitats Directive as a priority habitat. They are of great importance for amphibians and for groups of fauna that are exclusive to these systems, such as the large branchiopods. They are very vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts, to which are added the problems associated with climate change. As a result, these ecosystems are disappearing at an alarming rate. Information on their biodiversity and conservation status is limited, dispersed and/or difficult to access, thus making their management and conservation difficult. In Catalonia there is no specific catalogue for temporary ponds. This project plans to update and complete the information on the biodiversity and conservation status of temporary ponds in Catalonia. Several of the ponds included in this project are habitat for endangered species.

The project pursues the following objectives:

• Restore a temporary Mediterranean pond in Catalonia that is representative for its threatened species and environmental problems.
• Create a free online consultation inventory on the biodiversity and current conservation status of Mediterranean temporary ponds to improve their conservation, resilience to climate change, sustainable use and accessibility of data.
• To make Mediterranean temporary ponds and their biodiversity known to society.

The actions that have been developed during the execution of the project have been:

• The regulation of livestock access to the Sa Planassa lagoon and improvement of water quality.
• The compilation in a public database of historical and current information on the biodiversity and conservation status of temporary ponds in Catalonia, as well as the management and conservation measures implemented.
• The assessment of the state of conservation of temporary ponds.
• Dissemination actions: video and content from the web/online platform and appearance in the media, social networks and apps (Wikiloc).
• Dissemination actions: informative talks at universities.

The initiative developed by the Fundació Universitària Balmes has the support of the Biodiversity Foundation, through its call for grants and has taken place in Catalonia, where various actions have been carried out within the framework of the project.

One of them has been the regulation of access for livestock in the Sa Planassa lagoon in the Cap de Creus Natural Park and the improvement of water quality. To this end, a wooden fence has been installed around the lagoon to prevent the entry of cattle to drink and thus improve their state of conservation, placing a watering hole as an alternative. Thanks to the work carried out within the framework of the project , the restoration of this temporary lagoon has been achieved.

To check its evolution in the restoration, the lagoon has been sampled after the installation of the fence and its flooding by the autumn rains, analysing different parameters. The increase in water transparency and the decrease in the concentration of chlorophyll denote a better quality in the water.

Historical and current information on their location, hydromorphological characteristics, presence of protected and invasive species and degree of protection, management and conservation status of temporary ponds in Catalonia has also been compiled in an open-access database.

Finally, data published on the project's website have been compiled on a total of 95 seasonal ponds in Catalonia compared to the 30 planned, the planned visits to the website have been doubled and an interactive map has been created in which all the temporary ponds studied have been geolocated.

The initiative has also updated the valuation of the conservation status of 7 temporary ponds using the ECELS index and added 27 valuations of new ponds. The results achieved have been above the entity's expectations, as 34 ponds have been valued out of the 30 initially planned.

Videos have also been made to raise awareness in society of the importance of these spaces, content for the web platform, and informative talks in universities and regional and regional scientific forums to present the project.

An itinerary or GPS track has also been created and uploaded to the wikiloc platform to recreationally visit the pond restored during the project. It is a downloadable route of approximately 9 kilometres of easy difficulty that begins and ends in the town of Cadaqués.