CSW22: Connect river and floodplain habitats

This action’s aim is to restore river habitats to create a mosaic of wetland habitats that connect the river and floodplain. This will include:

• varied habitats in the river such as pools, riffles, steep and shallow banks, overhanging trees and large woody material
• erosion of some of the banks with gradual movement of the channel
• a mosaic of changing wetland and drier habitats across the floodplain, such as marsh, fen, wet scrub, woodland and grasslands with areas of standing water, flowing water and bare wet ground

The purpose is to support biodiversity, climate adaptation, flood and drought management.

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:

• prepare land to create wetland habitats and allow it to receive additional floodwater from adjacent watercourses
• remove or disable any artificial land drainage, such as ditches, drains and pipes – you must agree all drainage works (including modification to existing drainage) in writing with Natural England before carrying out any activities
• establish permanent vegetation cover (as set out in the river restoration plan)
• remove non-biodegradable flood debris
• control invasive non-native species
• only use vehicles on agreed access routes (as set out in the river restoration plan)

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

• establish a sward by the start of October in the first year of your agreement
• manage the land by cutting and grazing so there is sward that has a range of heights
• manage part of the land by light grazing and keeping a monthly record of stock numbers
• manage part of the land by cutting and removing all cut non-woody material
• retain mature and veteran trees
• retain standing or fallen deadwood unless it’s a flood risk to people and property
• allow trees and scrub to establish on the riverbank and across the floodplain
• remove soil compaction

You must not:

• fill in hollows or wet features
• use supplementary feed for grazing livestock
• remove or control sediments in rivers or floodplains, unless agreed
• carry out earthworks or maintain existing drainage, unless agreed
• apply fertilisers, manures or lime
• plough, cultivate or re-seed except as part of an agreed habitat enhancement programme
• 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
• create new access routes for vehicles

When to do it

You must do this action each year of its duration. You must complete capital works by the date set out in your management plan.

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