What the action involves
This action’s aim is to manage permanent ponds, temporary ponds or other bodies of water up to 2 hectares (ha) that have a high wildlife value so they:
- are more plentiful and varied
- are less polluted
The purpose is to:
- benefit biodiversity through maintaining and improving water quality and habitat quality
- protect historic assets such as mill and stew ponds
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:
- manage trees, scrub and other vegetation
- naturalise the hydrology of the pond or body of water by allowing or replicating seasonal fluctuation of water levels
- maintain clear, unpolluted water
- retain some submerged or partially submerged deadwood
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:
- manage margins around the waterbody by grazing or cutting
- maintain a cover of submerged and floating aquatic plants and marginal vegetation
- prevent the use of excess angling baits
You must not:
- connect ponds to inflowing streams, ditches or drains
- introduce plants or animals (including fish and waterfowl) to the waterbody, unless agreed with your Natural England adviser
- allow the supplementary feeding of fish stocks
- artificially change the size, shape or structure of the waterbody or in-fill it, unless agreed
- add dyes to the water
- feed wildfowl (if there’s public access to the pond, you should discourage wildfowl feeding)
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
Where you can do it
You can do this action on an eligible:
- priority pond as identified by criteria or maps set out on the Freshwater Habitats Trust website
- body of water with characteristic flora or fauna, good water quality and natural water levels
- historic pond, such as a mill and stew pond
An eligible pond or body of water for this action must be:
- more than 49 square metres
- under your management control – this includes the pond or body of water and the shore
You’ll normally undertake an appropriate buffering, riparian or habitat action surrounding the pond or body of water. This is unless you get approval from your Natural England adviser to do this action on its own.
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
Not applicable. You’ll enter the number of ponds or waterbodies.
This action is for ponds and other bodies of water up to 2ha. If the waterbody is larger than 2ha, you should use action CWT16: Manage lakes and bodies of water greater than 2ha.
Rotational or static
This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.
Consents and permissions
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)
- 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:
- get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
- apply for a felling licence from the Forestry Commission to carry out some activities in this action
- 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.
