CSW25: Manage riparian and water edge habitats

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.

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:

• 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