CSW25: Manage riparian and water edge habitats

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

Duration

10 years

How much you’ll be paid

£1,186 per hectare ( ha ) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to enhance and maintain a 12 to 24 metres (m) wide area of water-dependent habitat occurring between the land and the water’s edge of:

rivers and streams (riparian habitats)

lakes and ponds

This will include:

areas of marshy wildflower grassland, fen, reed and wetland species of scrub and trees

water loving plants, trees and shrubs occurring near the water’s edge on the bank and in low lying areas on the bank top

some trees and shrubs overhanging the river, lake or pond

standing and fallen deadwood

areas that flood seasonally

areas of river channel habitat when created by river widening as part of a river restoration plan (where there’s also 12m of habitat between the land and water’s edge)

The purpose is to deliver benefits for biodiversity, flood and drought management and water quality.

Where you can do this action

You should do this action on land with natural connectivity to a river, stream, lake, or pond, or where its natural connectivity is being restored. For example, where there is no continuous embankment acting as a barrier to stop water moving between a river and an adjacent area of vegetation, such as fen, reed, grassland, scrub or trees.

You cannot do this action on land next to drainage ditches or highly modified systems, such as embankments.

Eligible land

You can do this action on land that’s:

an eligible land type

registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps

declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover

Eligible land type Eligible land cover Compatible land use code

Arable land used to grow crops Arable land Land use codes for  arable crops  or  leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops

Arable land lying fallow Arable land FA01

Permanent crops other than nursery crops and short rotation coppice Permanent crops TC01

Permanent grassland Permanent grassland PG01

Watercourse – ditch, drain or dyke Water/irrigation features WF01

Pond Water/irrigation features WF03

Reed bed Marine wetland MW03

Watercourse – river or stream (Rivers and Streams Type 2) Inland water IW02

Watercourse – river or stream (Rivers and Streams Type 3) Inland water IW03

Scattered scrub Notional features NF03

Scattered water features Notional features NF05

Scattered natural features Notional features NF06

Scattered manmade features Notional features NF07

Scattered features – mixed Notional features NF08

Sports and recreation Recreational land RL03

Golf course Recreational land RL04

Woodland Natural woodland WO12

Scrub Natural woodland WO25

Available areas you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.

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 action, you must:

maintain a 12 to 24m wide area of undisturbed, diverse riparian or water edge habitats

remove or disable artificial drainage from the land to restore natural hydrological conditions – you must agree all drainage works (including modification to existing drainage) in writing with Natural England before carrying out any activities

establish or maintain permanent vegetation cover, including wetland plants, grasses, wildflowers, scrub and trees

retain all mature and veteran standing trees and all standing and fallen deadwood

remove all non-biodegradable flood debris

The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:

establish a mosaic of habitats in the first year of your agreement

complete capital works set out in your river restoration plan by the time agreed with your Natural England adviser

manage the area through appropriate grazing and cutting

control invasive non-native species

allow trees and scrub to establish and retain trees and woody material across the area

protect trees to prevent damage from livestock and wild animals

remove soil compaction

You must not:

fill hollows and wet features

store materials in the agreement area

apply fertilisers, manures or lime

use supplementary feed for grazing livestock

apply pesticides – you may be able to use herbicides to spot-treat or weed-wipe for the control of injurious weeds, invasive non-native plant species, nettles or other plants if this has been agreed with your Natural England adviser

plough, harrow, roll, cultivate or re-seed unless it’s part of an agreed sward enhancement programme

use the land as access routes for vehicles or livestock

remove, replace or relocate historic structures

create or maintain hard standing, boardwalk or closely mown access routes parallel to the water, unless providing permissive access agreed with Natural England

damage or disturb legally protected or priority species

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, including:

field operations at a parcel level

associated invoices

photographs relevant to the action

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.

Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action.

Scheme Action or option code

SFI 2024 actions CSAM1, OFC1, OFC2, OFM1, OFM2, CMOR1, UPL1, UPL2, UPL3, UPL7, UPL8, UPL9, UPL10, CIPM1, CNUM1

SFI 2023 actions SAM1, MOR1, IPM1, NUM1

CSHT actions CUP3, CUP8, CUP9, CUP10, CUP11, CUP12, CUP13, CUP14, CWD2, CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CWS1, CWS3, CSP21, CSP20, CPAC1

CS options OR1, OR2, OT1, OT2

ES options N/A

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:

CSHT actions: CWT3, CHRW4

SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2, WBD2

SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3

CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)

Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

To apply for this action, you’ll need:

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 )

to obtain any necessary consents from the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authority ( LLFA ) or Internal Drainage Board ( IDB ) before starting any work

You may also need to:

agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser

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

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.

Choosing a site

Ideally, choose a site where part of the land lies permanently or seasonally saturated with water and support wetland plants. Locations where connectivity between the waterbody and land can be restored are also suitable. The action is best suited to land with low to moderate fertility with extractable phosphate levels in the range of 5 to 30 milligrams per litre (mg/l).

The presence of beavers may indicate a suitable site as they can also create water dependent habitats.

Try to choose a site that connects to wider habitats as this will provide a corridor for wildlife through the landscape. This is particularly important along rivers and streams and between ponds, lakes and other wetland habitats.

You must use a nutrient buffer where needed, however you can use this action in addition to a nutrient buffer.

If you have buffer strips, habitat strips next to a waterbody, or other similar actions from previous agreements, then this action may be suitable as an improvement.

You may need to consider how you maintain existing access requirements, for example for angling.

Planning

You can create a restoration plan to direct restoration and inform management. You can apply for a capital grants plan PA1: Implementation plan or PA2: Feasibility study to fund this.

The plan will identify any environmental or historic features that you need to consider when completing this action.

Establishing a site

You may need to:

reduce soil nutrient levels and compaction

allow vegetation to establish by natural regeneration

sow a native water edge seed mix or plant wetland plugs local to your area to help establish a diverse habitat

avoid bare ground in winter to reduce the risk of soil erosion

control injurious weeds, nettles or invasive non-native species more often over the first few years to help wetland vegetation establish

You can encourage trees and scrub to establish by natural regeneration or by planting a mixture of native tree and shrub species. These can include species such as alder, willows and guelder rose. When using this option along rivers, you can include trees along the bank and bank top to provide dappled shade to the river.

In areas where the riverbank is heavily shaded, it may be beneficial to carry out discrete tree works to allow more light to reach the water in places along the bank. Capital items are available to support this activity including tree hinging into the channel.

Tree shading can have a greater influence on ponds, so consider the need for plenty of light to reach them. For example, trees around the southern edge of a pond will have a greater shading effect than other areas of the pond.

Trees and scrub can also provide other benefits such as shelter, invertebrate habitat and food sources. In woodland habitats where removing trees and scrub may be unsuitable for some species, you will need to adapt this advice to your site.

When planting trees and scrub:

avoid historic and archaeological sites

be sympathetic to the landscape character

You can read the Tree Council’s guidance on hedge planting and growing and watch a video on how to plant trees and hedgerows .

Managing the site

Carry out management in stages to minimise disturbance and create a more varied habitat. This may include:

maintaining vegetation cover to avoid large areas of bare soil and prevent soil runoff

adopting very low levels of seasonal grazing and or cutting on some parts of the area. When cutting, remove all arisings.

the use of fencing and gates (where needed) to manage livestock access to the area – use high tensile wire or electric fencing where flooding may occur to reduce the risk of damage

controlling woody growth to maintain a varied cover of open space and scattered scrub and trees, unless you are creating a more wooded habitat

leaving cut branches, fallen trees and scrub, or piles of dead wood to help provide habitat for wildlife.

retaining features such as exposed tree roots

encouraging overhanging boughs as these can provide cover and a future supply of woody material to the river, lake or pond

Veterinary medicines such as ivermectin wormers, and livestock insecticides (especially pyrethroids) can have a negative impact on both land and freshwater ecosystems.  If you’re a livestock farmer, work with your vet to see if you can agree a way to reduce the impact without affecting the animal’s welfare.

Responding to climate change

Read Natural England’s publication: ‘Adaptation for habitats in Environmental Land Management Schemes’  to help you consider your general response to climate change. You must continue to follow the mandatory activities for this CSHT action.

Establishing and maintaining riparian and water edge habitats allows plant and animal communities to adapt in response to environmental and climate change. Healthy riparian and water edge habitats can also help slow the flow, reducing flood risk downstream and improving water retention during droughts.

Eligible land

You can do this action on land that’s:

an eligible land type

registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps

declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover

Eligible land type Eligible land cover Compatible land use code

Arable land used to grow crops Arable land Land use codes for  arable crops  or  leguminous and nitrogen-fixing crops

Arable land lying fallow Arable land FA01

Permanent crops other than nursery crops and short rotation coppice Permanent crops TC01

Permanent grassland Permanent grassland PG01

Watercourse – ditch, drain or dyke Water/irrigation features WF01

Pond Water/irrigation features WF03

Reed bed Marine wetland MW03

Watercourse – river or stream (Rivers and Streams Type 2) Inland water IW02

Watercourse – river or stream (Rivers and Streams Type 3) Inland water IW03

Scattered scrub Notional features NF03

Scattered water features Notional features NF05

Scattered natural features Notional features NF06

Scattered manmade features Notional features NF07

Scattered features – mixed Notional features NF08

Sports and recreation Recreational land RL03

Golf course Recreational land RL04

Woodland Natural woodland WO12

Scrub Natural woodland WO25