CSP2: Rewetting supplement

This action is part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier ( CSHT ). You must read the CSHT guidance before you apply.

Duration

5 years

How much you’ll be paid

£181 per hectare ( ha ) per year

Action’s aim

The aim of this supplemental action is to re-wet land or keep existing wet land wet.

The purpose is to:

increase biodiversity

store carbon

reduce flood risk

improve water quality

protect historic and archaeological features

Where you can do this action

You can only do this supplemental action in combination with a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier ( CSHT ) base action if:

there’s a need to restore habitat wetness or manage the habitat so it’s continually wet

the base action does not cover the cost of time-consuming management or significant changes to existing practices are needed to achieve the action’s aim

You can only do this supplemental action if you have an implementation plan or feasibility study agreed with Natural England.

You can do this supplemental action with the following CSHT base actions:

CLH1: Manage lowland heathland

CLH2: Restore lowland heathland

CLH3: Create lowland heathland

CWD8: Create scrub and open habitat mosaics

CWD7: Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics

CWD20: Create wood pasture

CWD22: Manage wood pasture

CWD21: Restore wood pasture and parkland

CWD2: Woodland improvement

CGS22: Manage priority habitat species-rich grassland

CGS21: Manage grassland for target habitats, species or features

You’ll need approval from a Natural England specialist to do this supplemental action with the following CSHT base actions:

CUP3: General moorland management

CGS18: Manage species-rich floodplain meadows

CWT3: Manage ditches of high environmental value

CGS19: Manage wet grassland for wintering waders and wildfowl

CGS20: Manage wet grassland for breeding waders

CWT13: Manage and restore fen, reedbed and wetland mosaics

CWT14: Create fen, reedbed or wetland mosaics

CWT10: Manage lowland raised bog

CCT8: Manage and restore coastal sand dunes

CCT9: Manage and restore coastal vegetated shingle

CCT2: Make space for new coastal habitat

CCT10: Manage and restore maritime cliffs and slopes

Your Natural England adviser will agree with you what other supplemental actions may be needed to meet the intended environmental outcomes. This could include:

CCT6: Coastal vegetation management supplement

CES6: Maintain features for wildfire management (fire belts) supplement

CGS16: Rush control supplement

CGS23: Haymaking supplement

CGS24: Haymaking supplement (late cut)

CSP1: Difficult site supplement

CSP11: Manage scrapes and gutters supplement

CSP12: Rhododendron control and management supplement

CSP16: Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (50-80%)

CSP17: Keep native breeds on grazed habitats supplement (more than 80%)

CSP18: Keep native breeds on extensively managed habitats supplement (50-80%)

CSP19: Keep native breeds on extensively managed habitats supplement (more than 80%)

CSP3: Bracken control supplement

CSP5: Shepherding supplement (non-moorland)

CSP6: Cattle grazing supplement (non-moorland)

CSP7: Introduction of cattle grazing on the Isles of Scilly supplement

CSP9: Support for threatened species

CUP15: Keep cattle and ponies on moorland supplement (minimum 30% GLU )

CUP16: Keep cattle and ponies on moorland (minimum 70% GLU ) supplement

CUP17: Keep cattle and ponies on moorland (100% GLU ) supplement

CWS2: Manage and restore plantations on ancient woodland sites ( PAWS ) supplement

CWS5: Improve woodland resilience supplement

CWS7: Manage historic features in woodlands supplement

CWS8: Manage native woodland including ancient semi-natural woodlands ( ASNW ) supplement

CWT12: Wetland grazing supplement

You cannot do this supplemental action:

where land management actions (such as burning or cutting, unless part of an agreed restoration or wildfire mitigation plan) or infrastructure (such as field drains or tracks) are incompatible with rewetting

in combination with any other actions or supplements that support wetting up, natural flood management or drought resilience

where your feasibility study shows you’re unlikely to be able to re-wet the area

Eligible land

Same as base action.

Available area you can enter into this action

Same or less than the base action.

Rotational or static action

Same as base action.

What to do

Your Natural England adviser will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.

To get paid for this supplemental action, you must: re-wet land, or keep existing land wet, to provide suitable hydrological conditions for the target habitats. To do this you’ll need to either:

restore the natural water table or water flow

raise and manage water levels in ditches and adjacent land

keep land wet through appropriate management

Your Natural England adviser will review the effectiveness of this supplemental action towards the end of its 5-year duration. They’ll decide if it can continue for a further 5 years. They may visit the site or request evidence, such as photographs, proof of ongoing costs or water level readings.

When to do it

You must do this action each year of its duration.

Evidence to keep

You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency ( RPA ) may ask for this evidence. You must supply the evidence if they ask for it.

Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

To apply for this action, you’ll need:

to agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer

Scheduled Monument Consent from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments

consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest ( SSSI ) or where land drainage or changing water levels affect nearby SSSIs

to obtain the necessary consents and water resource licences from the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authority ( LLFA ) or Internal Drainage Board ( IDB ) as appropriate before undertaking any works (for example, an abstraction licence, impoundment licence or transfer licence from the Environment Agency)

You may need to:

get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land

get a licence from Natural England if your management affects a protected species or their habitat

apply for a felling licence from the Forestry Commission to carry out some activities in this action

get planning consent or permission (as appropriate) to divert a public right of way from your local planning authority, if your agreement requires installation of bunds or embankments within the floodplain

All archaeological and historic features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record ( HEFER ).

If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.

Capital grants to support this action

If you need to complete an implementation plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for capital grants plans funding .

You can also apply for capital items to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.

Advice to help you do this action

The following optional advice may help you to do this action. Your agreement document will set out all the activities you must do.

For land above the moorland line, you can use this supplement on peatland areas that:

already have natural hydrological function

are being restored towards natural hydrological function

For all sites, you will agree a feasibility study or implementation plan with your Natural England adviser as part of your agreement.

This will include:

the management activities you will carry out on the area using this supplement

for moorland, the location and area of peatland that can be rewetted or that is already wet

You can apply for a PA1: Implementation plan or PA2: Feasibility study to fund management plans, such as a water level management plan or habitat restoration plan. You can also use a plan which is not funded by PA1 or PA2 if it includes all the information needed.

It will also be necessary to agree appropriate cutting or grazing management – this can be funded using the base action or other supplements.

When water levels are being actively managed, the land levels, topography, soils and underlying geology needs to be suitable for water level management. The site, either alone or combined with a group of sites, will form a natural hydrological unit, or be part of a managed hydrological unit.

Capital items could fund infilling of drains to restore natural hydrological function, or water management structures (such as sluices or bunds) to separate the site from neighbouring land.

Woodland sites

You can only use this supplement in certain circumstances, such as restoring a wet woodland priority habitat. Your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission Woodland Officer will advise if the woodland is eligible.

Unsuitable sites

A site is unsuitable if:

the water supply lacks the quantity or quality to achieve the objectives

raising water levels would damage priority habitats or species, or features of archaeological, historic or landscape value, unless you can take appropriate mitigation measures

the project would damage third party land or buildings, infrastructure or other assets unless approved mitigation measures are taken

there are conflicts with public access or other uses of the area that cannot be resolved

the site’s historical characteristics prevent rewetting

there are land management activities or remaining infrastructure that are incompatible, such as rotational burning or repeated cutting on moorland

Historic environment

This action offers opportunities to protect waterlogged archaeological deposits and sites by preventing degradation of organic remains, through rewetting.

Eligible land

Same as base action.