CGS21: Manage grassland for target habitats, species or features
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-10)

What you must do to get paid for this CSHT action and advice on how to do it.

This action is part of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT). You must read the CSHT guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-csht) before you apply.

Duration

5 years

How much you’ll be paid

£528 per hectare (ha) per year

Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to manage grassland to support target features. This can include existing grassland or grassland that’s being restored or created. This will support a range of habitats and features, including target species such as fungi, bats, insects, birds and rare plants. This action can also be used to provide buffer areas to link up priority habitats.

The purpose of this is to:
- maintain or increase grassland habitat which supports wildlife and biodiversity
- support features, such as historic sites and ditches of high environmental value
- protect soil and reduce diffuse pollution
Where you can do this action

You can only do this action on land that is:
- permanent grassland
- arable and temporary grassland which has the potential for restoration or creation to grassland for target features
You can also only do this above the moorland line with approval from a Natural England specialist

You cannot do this action on the following species-rich priority habitats, unless they occur as a mosaic with grassland which is not a species-rich priority habitat:
- lowland calcareous grassland
- lowland dry acid grassland
- lowland meadows
- upland hay meadows
- purple moor-grass and rush pasture
If you’re restoring or creating grassland, you must provide your Natural England adviser with a map showing where restoration (from permanent grassland to grassland habitat) or creation (from arable or temporary grassland to grassland habitat) will take place. You may also need to provide soil analysis results including the soil available phosphorus (Olsen P method) and the soil potassium status – you’ll agree this with your adviser. Soil analysis must have been carried out within the last year, or within the last 5 years if there have been no fertiliser applications or increase in stocking levels since the last soil analysis.

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 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/land-use-codes-rural-payments) which is compatible with the eligible land cover

Available area you can enter into this action

Total or part of the available area in the land parcel.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it on the same location each year of the action’s duration.

What to 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 the grassland so that there’s suitable vegetation for target species or features
- manage the grassland by grazing or cutting for forage to maintain vegetation and soil condition, as agreed with your Natural England adviser
- make sure scrub, undesirable plant species, rush and bracken do not outcompete other grassland species or damage historic or archaeological features
- protect historic and archaeological features
- maintain or restore the appropriate hydrology (site wetness)
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:
- top the grassland to control injurious weeds, invasive non-native species, bracken or areas dominated by rushes
- allow grasses to go to seed
- provide appropriate levels of scrub for the grassland habitat
- remove livestock at certain times of the year
- provide areas of bare ground
- provide areas of fresh dung
- maintain wet features such as scrapes and gutters
- maintain boundary hedges at a suitable height
- maintain continuous vegetation cover on historic and archaeological features
- maintain or restore a mix of high value indicator plants if the grassland includes areas of species-rich priority habitat
- maintain the soil pH at suitable levels for the grassland type
- follow an agreed wildfowling strategy and record bag returns
You must not:
- plough, cultivate or reseed (unless agreed with your Natural England adviser)
- apply fertilisers or farmyard manure (unless agreed with your Natural England adviser)
- apply any other manures, digestate or any other industrial by-product including paper waste
- 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
- supplementary feed except for the use of mineral blocks or other forms of feed if agreed by your Natural England adviser
- harrow, roll, supplementary feed or allow scrub or bracken to encroach on historic or archaeological feature
- carry out drainage works without written permission from your Natural England adviser
- work on ditches between April and August – this may also apply to surface water features
- carry out mechanical operations or other activities that may cause significant disturbance to birds during the wader breeding season or the autumn and winter (this does not include ditch maintenance)
- carry out land management activities in a way that causes poaching or overgrazing
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.

Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action

You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.

Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action.

You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- CSHT actions: CWT3, CHRW4
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2, WBD10
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- Scheduled Monument Consent (https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/consents/smc/) 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) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-areas-sites-of-special-scientific-interest#get-consent-to-carry-out-operations-on-your-land)
You may need to:
- agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser, particularly if you’re restoring or creating grassland
- obtain the necessary consents from the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) or Internal Drainage Board (IDB), before starting any work
- get a wildlife licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wildlife-licences) from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
- get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
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 to support this action

If you need to complete an implementation plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for capital grants plans funding (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/capital-items-guidance-for-applicants-and-agreement-holders#capital-grants-plans).

You can apply for capital items (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/capital-items-guidance-for-applicants-and-agreement-holders) to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.

Advice to help you do this action

The following optional advice may help you to do this action. Your agreement document will set out all the activities you must do.

Examples of target habitats, species and features

Your Natural England adviser will consider the target habitats, species and features your grassland will support and whether this action is suitable.

Target habitats, species and features for this action may include:
- priority species (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/habitats-and-species-of-principal-importance-in-england)
- scarce plants and grassland fungi
- targeted bumblebees, butterflies or other invertebrates
- targeted birds or other vertebrates
- areas that have breeding waders but that are not suitable for CGS20 or GRH2: Manage wet grassland for breeding waders
In combination with other features and species, this action can also be carried out on areas with:
- ditches of high environmental value
- historic or archaeological features
You may be able to use this action to link, extend and buffer areas of priority habitat.

You can create grassland for target features by establishing a sward using capital items:

GR1: Create or restore grassland habitat (https://www.gov.uk/capital-grant-finder/gr1-create-or-restore-grassland-habitat)

GR2: Standard seed mix for grassland habitat (https://www.gov.uk/capital-grant-finder/gr2-standard-seed-mix-for-grassland-habitat)

Responding to climate change

Read Natural England’s publication: ‘Adaptation for habitats in Environmental Land Management Schemes’ (https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/5673659512127488) to help you consider your general response to climate change. You must continue to follow the mandatory activities for this CSHT action.