CWT14: Create fen, reedbed or wetland mosaics

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

£1,605 per hectare ( ha ) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to create new reedbed, fen or wetland habitat mosaic (including mires and flushes) on land that currently has low wildlife value.

The purpose is to:

increase biodiversity, by supporting a diverse range of target species

store carbon

reduce flood risk

improve water quality

protect archaeological sites with waterlogged remains

Where you can do this action

You can only do this action if you have a feasibility study or implementation plan agreed with Natural England. The study or plan will tell you if your land is suitable for this action.

You can do this action on eligible land that:

is arable land, temporary grassland, or improved grassland in a suitable location, if agreed by a Natural England adviser

is a wetland or grassland habitat in poor condition, if agreed by a Natural England specialist

has a suitable water supply (quality and quantity) for the target wetland habitat

is located below the moorland line

You can only use this action above the moorland line when other CSHT moorland actions or supplements cannot achieve the intended environmental outcomes.

You must have approval from a Natural England adviser to do this. Read the advice to help you do this action for more details.

You cannot do this action:

on reedbeds and constructed wetlands that have been created to clean the water

if it could damage historic or archaeological features

if it could flood someone else’s land

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

Temporary grassland Arable land TG01

Improved permanent grassland Permanent grassland PG01

Arable land lying fallow Arable land FA01

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

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

Fen, marsh and swamp Inland wetland IW06

Bog Inland wetland IW07

Reedbeds Non-agricultural land MW03

Non-agricultural area or feature which is temporary and likely to change over time (ineligible area) Non-agricultural area NA02

Scattered rock Notional features NF01

Scattered bracken or heather Notional features NF02

Scattered scrub Notional features NF03

Scattered water features Notional features NF05

Scattered natural features Notional features NF06

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

Pond Water/irrigation features WF03

Scrub Natural woodland WO25

Available area 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 on the same location each year of the 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:

establish fen, reedbed or wetland mosaic (as set out in your feasibility study or implementation plan)

provide suitable hydrological conditions for the target habitats

manage the fen, reedbed or wetland mosaic to maintain clear, unpolluted water

manage trees and scrub so they usually cover no more than 10% of the area – your adviser will agree the area of trees and scrub with you

dispose of cut material using agreed methods

only carry out agreed earthworks

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

control invasive non-native species

manage vegetation in an agreed way when you’re establishing the wetland

manage scrub and other species to agreed levels

You must not:

apply fertilisers or manures

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

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.

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, CIPM1, CNUM1

SFI 2023 actions SAM1, IPM1, NUM1

CSHT actions CSP13, CSP14, CSP15, CWS1, CWS3, CSP21, CSP20,

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:

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

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

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

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.

Using this action above the moorland line

You may be able to do this action above the moorland line, if you have approval from your Natural England adviser. Sites will usually need to be:

located below 300 metres

in small enclosures, where the wetland habitat will be created over the majority of the parcel

It is not usually suitable to do this action above the moorland line on:

large, unenclosed areas of land

patches within larger moorland units

where moorland actions and supplements (CUP3: General moorland management, CUP8 to CUP17 (moorland management using livestock) or CSP2: Rewetting supplement) can achieve the intended environmental outcomes

Choosing a site

Suitable land must have a reliable and adequate supply of water throughout the year. Sites adjacent to existing wetland habitats are particularly suitable for this action.

Sites on peat soils with a reliable supply of good quality water are most appropriate for the creation of fen and wetland mosaic habitat. You can create reedbeds on both peat and mineral soils, and they may be less reliant on good water quality. This will depend on the type of wildlife living on the site and the wildlife you want to support.

Managing your site

Create the fen, reedbed or wetland mosaic habitat with a planned set of wildlife goals. You can assess feasibility and impact in advance and agree a detailed implementation plan for the works with Natural England.

When making your plan, consider:

area available

water supply

topography

other landscape and management opportunities and constraints such as flood risk, existing habitats, species on site, the historic environment and landscape impact

You can apply for a PA1: Implementation plan or PA2: Feasibility study to fund your plan. You can also use a plan which is not funded by PA1 or PA2 if it includes all the information needed.

Creating and restoring fens

Fens (including mires, flushes and upland wetland mosaics) are diverse habitat types with different fen types depending on factors such as:

water chemistry

soil type

fertility

position in the landscape

historical management

To create fen appropriately, consider the location and landscape setting. Set appropriate objectives for creating and managing the fen. Decide how best to create fens by considering:

how and where it sits in the wider landscape

how past modification and management have influenced the site and the wildlife it supports

how the fen will be supplied with water, how it’ll drain and the changes to hydrology that are needed to re-wet the site, such as restoring hydrology that functions naturally, or by managing water levels to achieve wetter conditions.

other landscape and management opportunities and constraints such as flood risk, existing habitats, species on site, the historic environment and landscape impact

Small fen sites may be fragments of once much larger wetlands and semi-natural landscapes. Look for opportunities to extend and buffer existing fens by:

re-wetting areas with drained land next to them

blocking or in-filling pipes or ditches that intercept springs or drain the fen

undertaking appropriate management on surrounding land such as buffering the fen from agricultural inputs

Consider the surroundings and neighbouring habitats to plan more coherent wetland units. Habitats can include:

raised and blanket bog

rivers and lakes

wet grassland

wet woodland

Speak to your Natural England about funding to manage these habitats.

Water coming from the area around the fen largely determines its character and condition. It’s important you manage the surrounding land in a way that does not damage the fen through pollution by nutrients or sediment runoff.

When the habitat is established, you may need to maintain it by grazing or cutting.

Creating and restoring reedbed

Reedbed habitat quality can vary greatly. The type of habitat that’s suitable for different wildlife depends on:

reedbed size

how wet or dry it is

scrub cover

soil type

water quality

reed management practices

For example, a small scrubby reedbed can support a diverse invertebrate assemblage but will not attract breeding bittern.

Your Natural England adviser will not recommend creating reed beds where:

they would cause damage or loss of existing semi-natural habitat

there is an opportunity to create a more diverse or more geographically appropriate type of fen, particularly on peat soils

If reedbeds are characteristic of the local landscape, extend existing reedbeds rather than fragment the landscape pattern when creating new sites.

When the habitat is established, you may need to maintain it by grazing or cutting.

Establishing wetland vegetation

You can establish wetland vegetation in different ways including:

natural colonisation

moving turf from one place to another (translocation)

inoculation by rhizomes

introduction of seed and/or plug planting of pot grown plants

Include how you’ll establish vegetation in your feasibility study or implementation plan.

Managing scrub

Scrub plants and scrubby areas within wetlands increase habitat complexity and may support rare species. You can include small areas of scrub in the fen, reedbed and wetland mosaic action – your agreement will set this out. You may find that large areas are more suitable for scrub or woodland actions if they need managing. You’ll need to do ongoing scrub control as part of your regular wetland management.

Managing the hydrology

Restoring the natural hydrology by removing or blocking artificial drainage such as ditches, grips and field drains is the best thing to do in most instances. Capital items for grip blocking drainage channels and major preparatory works can be used to support this.

In areas with more intensive water management systems (for example, the Fens, Somerset Levels, Norfolk and Suffolk Broads) ditches may need creating, managing or restoring to maintain high water levels.

Controlling invasive, non-native species

Monitor and control invasive, non-native plant species, such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed, to stop them spreading. These species can out-compete native plants or take their shade. Seek advice if the site contains invasive water plants like Crassula helmsii (New Zealand pigmyweed) or floating pennywort.

Make sure the way you treat and dispose of invasive non-native plant material does not endanger human health or the environment.

You’ll need to get agreement from the Environment Agency to use herbicides in or near water. Products must be approved for aquatic use. Read guidance on controlling invasive non-native plants .

Where not to use this action

Your Natural England adviser would not recommend using this action on areas of permanent open water over 1ha, unless the intention is for these areas to develop fen or reedbed vegetation as part of a dynamic wetland system

If your site has peat soils but the water quality is not good enough to create fen or wetland mosaic habitat, you may like to consider the actions for raising water levels in peat soils.

Sites which rely on flooding from rivers only, and don’t have a reliable, good quality, year-round water source, are unlikely to be suitable for fen, reedbed or wetland mosaic creation. They may be suitable for actions such as Connect river and floodplain habitats, Flood mitigation on arable reversion to grassland or Flood mitigation on permanent grassland.

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.

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

Temporary grassland Arable land TG01

Improved permanent grassland Permanent grassland PG01

Arable land lying fallow Arable land FA01

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

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

Fen, marsh and swamp Inland wetland IW06

Bog Inland wetland IW07

Reedbeds Non-agricultural land MW03

Non-agricultural area or feature which is temporary and likely to change over time (ineligible area) Non-agricultural area NA02

Scattered rock Notional features NF01

Scattered bracken or heather Notional features NF02

Scattered scrub Notional features NF03

Scattered water features Notional features NF05

Scattered natural features Notional features NF06

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

Pond Water/irrigation features WF03

Scrub Natural woodland WO25