What the action involves
This action’s aim is to maintain coastal saltmarsh in good condition and restore saltmarsh in unfavourable condition.
The purpose of this is to:
- provide saltmarsh habitat and benefit locally and nationally important species
- expand the extent of priority habitat coastal saltmarsh
- increase the resilience of the habitat and wider coastal system to the impacts of climate change
- contribute to carbon capture and storage
What you must 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:
- leave natural coastal and hydrological processes, such as erosion events or seasonal pooling, to function freely without obstruction
- regularly monitor changes from natural events in the action area
- regularly remove tidal deposits of litter (plastics, other artificial waste) by hand tools
- manage vegetation to maintain a variety of species across the action area
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to control vegetation by grazing, mowing or cutting the area.
You must not:
- 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
- allow any activity which could harm the saltmarsh vegetation
- alter the existing pattern of creek systems by removing, blocking, straightening or widening channels in the marsh
- create any new channels
- change or remove sea defences, unless agreed with the relevant responsible authorities
- allow vehicle access, unless agreed by your Natural England adviser
- apply any fertilisers or organic manures
- plough, cultivate, reseed, roll or chain harrow
- remove organic material, such as seaweed or driftwood, if washed on to the marsh
- cut or remove surface material including turf or plants
- create bare ground on, or disturb, historic or archaeological features
- use supplementary feed for grazing livestock
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.
Where you can do it
You can do this action on eligible coastal saltmarsh located below the moorland line where vegetation has established and requires management. This includes:
- upper zones of saltmarsh
- older saltmarsh further inland above the mean high-water line
- the transition area between saltmarsh and neighbouring habitats
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
Available area
Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.
Rotational or static
This action is static. This means you must do it on the same location each year of the action’s duration, but there’s some flexibility due to natural coastal changes.
Consents and permissions
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
- get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
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 that support it
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.
