Ancient ponds serve a crucial function in the preservation of traditional rural settlements within karst regions and are essential for ecological conservation and sustainable development in contemporary karst communities. Currently, their significance and value are often undervalued, and the status of their protection is critically inadequate. It is therefore imperative to systematically collect and document pertinent knowledge concerning ancient ponds in these areas to facilitate their broader utilization and safeguard. Focusing on representative karst zones, this research documented and analyzed the functions and construction methods of ancient ponds in traditional rural settlements through field studies and literature review. It summarizes the construction mechanisms of these ponds and concludes that the entire settlement exhibits a spatial configuration of “mountain forest - folk house - pond - field - river”, reflecting the human-land relationship and the philosophy of refined agriculture characteristic of the region. In planning and constructing water resource systems within modern karst settlements, emphasis should be placed on settlement layout planning, learning from existing water resource planning practices, and employing cultural landscapes as a means of water resource protection. This study offers a comprehensive record of the functions and landscape engineering of current ancient ponds, providing a theoretical foundation to support their extensive utilization in karst areas. Such insights are of considerable importance for the development of modern karst settlements and the strategic planning and safeguarding of water resources.