CT3: Management of coastal saltmarsh

Find out about eligibility and requirements for the management of coastal saltmarsh option.

From:
Rural Payments Agency and Natural England
Published
2 April 2015
Last updated
4 January 2024 — See all updates
Grant type:
Option
Land use:
Biodiversity, Coast, Priority habitats
Tiers or standalone items:
Higher Tier
Funding (per unit per year):
£401 to £500

How much will be paid

£483 per hectare (ha).

Where to use this option

It is available for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier on whole or part parcels, on a non-rotational basis, only on saltmarsh and transitional areas (transitions to adjacent shingle or dune habitats) that are both:

  • above mean high water neap tide level (the average throughout the year of the heights of two successive high waters when the tidal range is at its smallest)
  • covered by seawater between 25 and 600 times a year (1 to 24 times a year for transitional areas)

Features that can be included in this option

You can include the following features if they are part of the saltmarsh area, even if they are not eligible for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS):

  • open water (such as small lagoons and creeks)
  • bare mud (if within the saltmarsh mosaic, but not separate external areas of mudflat)

How this option will benefit the environment

It maintains coastal saltmarsh in good condition and restores saltmarsh in unfavourable condition when grazing or cutting are key factors.

If successful there will be:

  • saltmarsh areas in favourable condition on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), meaning they are adequately conserved and are meeting conservation objectives
  • saltmarsh areas in improving condition if not on SSSIs, meaning measures are in place that if maintained will make them favourable over time
  • a mosaic of open habitats and bare ground with typical saltmarsh plant species such as sea aster, sea purslane, sea-blite and sea-lavender, although the exact species will depend on the location of the saltmarsh
  • a gradual change from less stable and seasonal habitats on the seaward side to the more stable, well-established landward saltmarsh and transitions covered only by the highest tides

Requirements

You must:

  • maintain or re-introduce favourable management, mainly through suitable grazing, where appropriate, but also by limiting disturbance
  • continue an appropriate grazing regime (the right types of stock, in the right numbers and at the right times of year) or stop grazing where necessary (for example, to restore condition or prevent erosion)
  • maintain the saltmarsh vegetation by not disturbing the surface, but allow natural and dynamic coastal changes, such as changes due to storms or windblow

The agreement will set out what you cannot do. It’s likely you’ll not be allowed to:

  • use fertilisers or manures
  • use supplementary feed
  • plough, cultivate or re-seed

Keeping records

You must send the following with your application:

  • a map of permitted access routes - you can mark these on any map, including your Farm Environment Record (FER)

On your annual claim you must declare that you have not carried out any activities prohibited by the option requirements.

You must keep the following records and supply them on request:

  • receipted invoices, consents and permissions connected with the work
  • field operations at the parcel level, including associated invoices
  • stock records to show grazing activity on parcels
  • photographs of the management undertaken
  • a stocking calendar to help manage levels of grazing pressure

The detailed requirements for this option will be tailored to the Higher Tier site. You should discuss and agree these requirements with your adviser.

You can locate the following options and supplements on the same area as this option:

Advice and suggestions for how to carry out this option

The following advice is helpful, but they are not requirements for this item.

The precise management agreed will depend on the particular conditions on a site. It could include any of the following:

  • light grazing
  • no grazing
  • controlling damaging activities associated with public access

This option will contribute to climate change adaptation and help to conserve and strengthen the distinctive local character of estuarine and coastal landscapes.

A site suitable for restoration through this option may be one that is currently being grazed but where this is impacting on the quality of the habitat and associated species. For example, a site may currently be over-grazed or grazed at an inappropriate time of year. Alternatively, it may be a site that needs grazing, but is difficult to graze and has become dominated by a few coarse plant species. Where significant changes to grazing levels are required, these can be supported under the CT6 supplement (to be used with this option). You can include the transitions between saltmarsh and other habitats to landward, exposed to infrequent tidal inundation in this option as they can support important species and plant communities which are increasingly rare.

You should keep any seaweed or driftwood accumulations and allow sediment to accumulate or migrate inland following storms and other coastal processes.

Biodiversity

This option has been identified as being beneficial for biodiversity. All Countryside Stewardship habitat creation, restoration and management options are of great significance for biodiversity recovery, as are the wide range of arable options in the scheme. Capital items and supplements can support this habitat work depending on the holding’s situation and potential.

The connectivity of habitats is also very important and habitat options should be linked wherever possible. Better connectivity will allow wildlife to move/colonise freely to access water, food, shelter and breeding habitat, and will allow natural communities of both animals and plants to adapt in response to environmental and climate change.

Further information

You can find more information from:

Read Countryside Stewardship: get funding to protect and improve the land you manage to find out more information about Higher Tier including how to apply.

Updates to this page

Published 2 April 2015
Last updated 4 January 2024 + show all updates

  1. Update to How Much Is Paid

  2. New payment rate from 1 January 2022.

  3. 'Keeping records' section has been updated

  4. The Keeping records section has been updated

  5. Updated keeping records section for evidence required with claim.

  6. Updated for 2017 applications.

  7. Information updated for applications in 2016.

  8. First published.

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