https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/create-and-manage-ditches-for-wildlife/
Create and manage ditches for wildlife
The guidance on this page is for SFI pilot participants only. Please visit GOV.UK for the official Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme guidance.
Find out how land managers can improve habitats for wildlife by creating and managing ditches.
If you’re completing this action as part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, how you do it is up to you.
The advice on this page can help you get better environmental and business benefits, but you do not have to follow it to get paid.
About ditches
Ditches are open channels that usually run along the boundaries of fields. They are man-made features, unlike rivers and streams which were formed by natural processes.
Ditches can be part of extensive drainage systems. They carry water from field drains into streams and rivers.
Ditches are also important for wildlife. They form a corridor that allows species to move between different areas. They often contain rare plants lost from the surrounding fields.
To provide the most benefit to wildlife, ditches need to be wet for most of the year. A ditch in good condition should have:
- at least 30cm depth of water throughout the year
- water levels no more than 45cm below field level
Why you should manage ditches
The main purpose of ditch management is to maintain their drainage function.
You can improve the wildlife value of ditches by managing them less frequently. Providing a range of different conditions will benefit many different species, for example:
- insects, that need shallow water, muddy areas, and flower-rich bankside vegetation
- birds like warblers, that need tall vegetation and reeds
- mammals like water voles and otters, that need permanent water and bankside cover
- fish, that need deep permanent water
A managed ditch can help you create the right water levels on other wildlife habitats. You can use ditches to:
- drain winter flood water off lowland meadows in readiness for a summer hay cut
- provide high water levels in the spring for breeding waders
- maintain high water levels all year in reedbeds and lowland fens
By managing ditches, you can also protect them as features of the visual landscape.
Make sure you have permission
You must get all necessary permissions before carrying out work on ditches. You may need permission from:
- the Environment Agency if your management of ditches will affect main rivers
- your lead local flood authority or internal drainage board if you are not on a main river
You’ll need to get consent from Historic England before working on or near scheduled monuments.
You may need permission from Natural England:
- on SSSIs or where changing water levels may affect nearby SSSIs
- for a wildlife licence if your management affects a protected species like water voles or great crested newts, or their habitats
Find out more about the responsibilities and rules around owning a watercourse and who to talk to about working on your ditches.
How to manage ditches
Cut banks
Mow ditch banks between 1 September and 1 April to avoid disturbing nesting wildlife. To maintain a range of vegetation structures:
- avoid cutting all your bank vegetation at the same time - manage only short lengths each year
- never cut both banks of a ditch in the same year
- leave managed sections for up to 10 years before managing again
- cut bankside vegetation no shorter than 10cm
Clear scrub from the banks so that no more than 20% is heavily shaded. Leave occasional bushes along the banks to provide some shade.
Remove silt
Dig out silt as required between 1 September and 1 April, to maintain the flow of water. You should:
- maintain the original profile - do not deepen ditches as this can change water levels in surrounding wetlands
- use the correct sized bucket so you do not damage the banks
- remove silt from sections of the ditch on different rotations to provide conditions for a range of wildlife
- leave each cleared section for at least 3 years before managing again
Shallow sloping ditch sides provide a range of water depths for different plants and animals.
Deposit the silt in a strip a few metres wide alongside the ditch bank. Spread thinly to allow the existing vegetation to grow back through, or spread spoil from ditches on agricultural land to improve the soil.
Avoid:
- spreading on areas of grassland that are rich in wildflowers
- using spoil to infill low lying areas
- creating spoil banks in wetland areas, as they stop water movement on and off the field
- spreading on the bank face
Do not spread on areas of historic interest. Register and request an SFI Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (SFI HEFER) to learn more about historic features on your land.
Do not spread ditch spoil containing invasive species. You must dispose of it safely.
Maintain water quality
Maintain good water quality in your ditches to protect the insects and plants that live there.
You must follow the farming rules for water. These require you to take steps to stop manure, fertiliser or soil getting into water bodies.
In arable fields you could create and maintain grass strips alongside ditches. This helps to reduce runoff of soil, fertiliser and pesticides into the ditch.
In grassland, you could fence livestock out and, where required, provide alternative drinking sources. Read about how to apply for grants for capital items, including fencing. You can also reduce livestock numbers to maintain or improve water quality.
Avoid fencing along ditches on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), where ditches are important for wildlife.
It’s important not to allow livestock to over-graze and poach the banks, which would cause soil erosion. Light grazing and trampling of ditch banks can benefit some species of wildlife.
Control weeds
You need to monitor and control invasive aquatic and terrestrial species. These species can shade out or out-compete native plants.
Create new ditches
Create new ditches to raise water levels as part of a wetland creation or restoration scheme.
Locate new ditches:
- only in areas where they are already a feature of your local landscape
- where they will not increase flood risk
- where they will not damage sites of ecological interest or historic features
To create a new ditch:
- dig to a depth of 70cm to 1 metre
- vary the depth and the slope of the banks to benefit as many wildlife species as possible
Spread the excavated material across an adjacent or nearby field. Spread thinly to allow the existing vegetation to grow back through.
Avoid spreading on fields with wildlife or historic interest. Do not use the material to fill wet hollows or low areas within fields.
