CWT16: Manage lakes and bodies of water greater than 2ha
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

10 years

How much you’ll be paid

£109 per lake or body of water plus £135 per hectare (ha) of lake or body of water per year

When you apply for this action in the Rural Payments service, select:
- action code ‘CWT16’ to enter the total area (in hectares) of lakes or bodies of water within each parcel
- action code ‘CWT16a’ to enter the number of lakes or bodies of water within the parcel
Action’s aim

This action’s aim is to manage lakes or other bodies of water larger than 2 hectares (ha), so they’re in a good condition by the end of your agreement.

The purpose is to benefit biodiversity through maintaining and improving water quality and habitat quality.

Where you can do this action

You can do this action where you have management control of both the lake or body of water and the shore. If possible, you should include the whole lake or body of water in your agreement.

You can only do this action if you have an implementation plan or feasibility study agreed with Natural England.

You should have an appropriate buffering, riparian or habitat action surrounding the lake or body of water, unless you get approval from your Natural England adviser to do this action on its own.

You cannot do this action where you’re likely to need to partially or fully drain the water during the lifetime of the agreement.

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 available area of the lake or body of water.

This action is for lakes and other bodies of water larger than 2ha. If the waterbody is smaller than 2ha, you should use action CWT15: Manage ponds and bodies of water up to 2ha.

Rotational or static action

This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this 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:
- naturalise the hydrology of the lake or body of water by allowing or replicating seasonal fluctuation of water levels
- take steps within your control to maintain clear and unpolluted water
- retain 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:
- Limit grazing around the lake margin
- manage trees, scrub and other vegetation
- manage margins around the waterbody by grazing or cutting
- prevent the use of excess angling baits
You must not:
- introduce plants or animals (including fish and waterfowl) to the waterbody, unless agreed with your Natural England adviser
- use supplementary feeding to enhance the growth or numbers of fish
- artificially change the size, shape or structure of the waterbody or in-fill it, unless agreed with your Natural England adviser
- allow watercraft or water sports to harm the wildlife or damage the shore or body of water
- 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
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.

Consents, permissions and licensing requirements

To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- to agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser
- 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)
- 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 (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-felling-licence-when-you-need-to-apply) from the Forestry Commission to carry out some activities in this action
- get a wildlife licence (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wildlife-licences) 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 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 also 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.

Establishing a site

Blocking or removing sources of pollution (for example, artificial drainage flowing into the lake) will help prevent polluted water getting into the lake.

Maintaining or establishing a variety of native semi-natural vegetation around and beyond the banks of the lake will provide cover for wildlife and mitigate pollution. Retain mature trees, low scrub and bramble to provide nectar and cover. Countryside Stewardship revenue actions (such as ‘Manage riparian and water edge habitats’) provide additional funding to increase the size of this area.

Managing the lake

Limiting or reducing fertiliser, pesticide, herbicide and soil run-off from surrounding land will help to maintain clear, unpolluted water. A community approach with neighbouring landowners and managers is a good way to achieve this. Protecting the lake and the watercourses that feed them with natural riparian vegetation or a buffer strip (or both) can also help improve water quality.

Sensitive grazing to manage vegetation around the lake can encourage a mosaic of riparian habitats and some open ground. You may need to sometimes limit livestock access to the water’s edge to avoid excess poaching, grazing or nutrient enrichment. You can also do this through cutting.

Leave submerged or partially submerged deadwood where it falls to create additional habitat. Allow native aquatic plants to grow above and below the water surface. Let emergent plants like reed and sedges to grow in shallow areas. Allowing or replicating seasonal fluctuation of water levels to create a drawdown ‘muddy’ zone is valuable for wildlife.

Doing substantial management works during from autumn to winter causes the least disturbance to plants and wildlife. Keep some patches of existing habitat (leaf litter, logs and woody debris) when doing habitat improvement works.

Let nature colonise the lake naturally rather than introducing any plants or animals. Introducing wildfowl or fish (especially carp), using excess angling baits and supplementary feeding of fish and waterfowl are particularly harmful to the ecology of the lakes. Remove or control non-native fish, animal or plant species such as mirror or common carp and New Zealand pigmyweed. Take steps to avoid their spread to other sites.

Veterinary medicines such as ivermectin wormers, and livestock insecticides (especially pyrethroids) can have a negative impact on both land and freshwater ecosystems. If you’re a livestock farmer, you could work with your vet to see if you can agree a way to reduce the impact without affecting the animal’s welfare.

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.