You must provide and protect habitat for wild birds if you’re a competent authority, including:
local authorities
the Environment Agency
Natural England
Natural Resources Wales
the Forestry Commission
national park and the Broads authorities
the Marine Management Organisation and inshore fisheries and conservation authorities
other relevant competent authorities
You must, as part of your existing duties as a competent authority, take the steps you consider appropriate to preserve, maintain and re-establish habitat that is large and varied enough for wild birds to support their population in the long term.
You must use your powers so that any pollution or deterioration of wild bird habitat is avoided as far as possible. You can use special protection areas selection guidelines to think about how and where bird populations live.
There are no national population targets for wild birds. However, you must aim to provide habitat that allows bird populations to maintain their numbers in the areas where they naturally live. They include:
protected areas such as sites of special scientific interest in England and Wales
the countryside, eg woodland, urban areas, mudflats
inshore marine areas, eg estuaries, inlets and reefs
You should focus on habitats for wild birds in decline but also maintain habitats supporting wild birds with healthier populations.
Ways to provide wild bird habitat
Identify habitat types
Identify the wild bird habitat that is being or could be used by wild birds in the future on land that you own, manage or have influence over.
These habitats may already be identified, eg in:
priority habitat maps on Magic.gov.uk
priority habitat maps by Wales Biodiversity Partnership
Identify wild bird species
Identify the species of wild bird that use this habitat now or could do in the future. Focus particularly on species with populations that are in decline using:
the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) 2015 report for information on vulnerable wild bird populations and relevant conservation measures
the BTO’s Bird Atlas for detail on bird distribution
the wild birds of conservation concern lists
birds listed in Section 42 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 - wild bird species of principal importance in Wales
birds listed in Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 - wild bird species of principal importance in England
local biodiversity opportunity area maps, eg Yorkshire and Humber Biodiversity Forum
Protect the habitat
Preserve, maintain or establish the habitats that have been identified, or create new ones. You can do this if you’re a competent authority in different ways, including any of the following:
take over management or control of habitats
consider bird populations when consulting on or granting consents, such as planning permissions, environmental permits, development or environmental consents, and other consents
consider how to incorporate measures to improve bird habitat when administering funding such as grants schemes or agricultural funds
make sure that strategic plans like development control, marine or land use plans take conservation into account
think about how decisions on land use or the marine environment could benefit wild birds
consider protected sites when making decisions, eg when granting permissions, permits and consents
You can improve habitat conditions if you’re a competent authority by:
designating and managing your own sites for conservation, considering where improvements can be made to bird habitat
running projects in England for Countryside Stewardship or Glastir in Wales
Planning and development control
Use planning and development control to conserve and enhance the natural environment as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework or Planning Policy Wales.
Planning authorities can:
work with partners, including England’s local nature partnerships and Wales Biodiversity Partnership to improve the environment and protect habitats
identify nature improvement areas (NIAs) and recognise them in local plans
find out how planning applications would affect wild bird habitats
impose legal agreements or planning conditions for England and Wales that create or improve wild bird habitats
keep information on how they’ve complied with the duty - ministers, Natural England or Natural Resources Wales may ask for this
You can contact local records centres in Wales for up to date wildlife data, eg wild birds and their habitats.
Habitat types
There are no specific methods you must use, but different methods may be suitable for different types of habitat. You should also consider the appropriate scale for each type of management.
Lowland farmland
You can help wild birds on lowland farmland if you’re a competent authority by ensuring there are habitats large and varied enough on arable and pastoral land.
What counts as lowland farmland
Lowland farmland includes arable and grass fields, hedgerows and other habitats that aren’t farmed but are associated with lowland agriculture, eg ditches. You can help wild birds on lowland farmland if you’re a competent authority by making sure there are habitats large and varied enough on arable and pastoral land which you:
own
manage
have influence over
You can also support tenants if you’re a competent authority who want to apply for the following schemes to provide wild bird habitat:
Countryside Stewardship
Glastir in Wales
Examples of farmland wild birds include the kestrel, corn bunting, grey partridge, turtle dove and yellowhammer.
You can also do any of the following if you’re a competent authority:
design future incentive schemes for managing or creating farmland bird habitat
directly manage land, eg using grazing, and maintaining hedgerows and field margins
maintain sides of roads, hedges and ditches, paying particular attention to the time of year that any works are carried out
apply Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) Regulations or Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) Regulations
run Countryside Stewardship and Glastir projects
Where to find example projects for lowland farmland
Example projects for lowland farmland include:
South West farmland bird initiative - ways to use Environmental Stewardship
Dyfi, Dysynni, Mawddach yellowhammer project - extending availability of seeds into late winter
The Long Forest - involving local communities in hedgerow management
Uplands
Uplands include both of the following:
rocky habitats such as screes, ledges and mountain habitats
areas with specific vegetation, eg heaths, bogs and rough grasslands found above the 250 to 400m upper limit of an agricultural enclosure
These open habitats have important connections with other habitats including native woodlands and freshwaters. They’re found in mid and North Wales, the North York moors, Pennines, Lake and Peak Districts, and Exmoor.
How to improve habitat conditions on uplands
You can improve habitat conditions if you’re a competent authority in different ways including any of the following:
by allowing the ground to hold water through rewetting or ditch blocking
only allowing appropriate burning
avoid over-grazing which can cause a decline in biodiversity
avoid under-grazing which can lead to too many shrubs and bushy plants spreading
cutting of meadows and pastures at the appropriate time of year and trying to use wildlife friendly mowing practices - search the RSPB publications list for detailed information on how to do this
create a variety of habitats where it’s appropriate to do so, eg blanket bog, wet and dry heath, scrub or woodland
carry out large-scale restoration where habitats are badly degraded or give targeted help to wild birds in decline, eg the twite
control predators - this will help ground-nesting wild birds including the black grouse, curlew, lapwing and golden plover
Examples of upland wild birds include the peregrine falcon, hen harrier and ring ouzel.
You can also do the following if you’re a competent authority:
design incentives for managing or creating habitat for upland wild birds
run Countryside Stewardship or Glastir projects
Where to find example projects for uplands
Example projects for uplands include:
North Pennines peatland programme - promoting grant schemes, sharing research and advice, and raising local awareness
Aber and Llanfairfechan Commons management agreement - using appropriate grazing methods
sustainable catchment management project - delivering whole-farm plans
England twite recovery project - increasing the availability of seed and breeding habitat
Berwyn, Migneint, Black Mountains and Radnor Upland Recovery Project - landscape scale species and habitat improvements
Woodlands
You can support wild birds if you’re a competent authority by making sure there are trees, bushes or plants of different heights, species and ages to create a more varied structure in woodland areas.
What counts as woodland areas
Woodland areas include all of the following:
broadleaved and conifer woodland
lowland wood-pastures and parklands
wet woodland (alder, birch and willows)
upland oak or ash woods - these cover around 10% of the land area in England and Wales
Examples of woodland wild birds include the chaffinch, woodpecker, hawfinch and thrush.
How to improve habitat conditions in woodland areas
You can help wild birds if you’re a competent authority by managing woodlands you own or control to create a more varied woodland structure. You can do this in different ways, including any of the following:
providing trees of different species, age classes and dead wood
creating rides, glades and riparian areas to make open spaces within the woodland to increase habitat diversity
expanding areas of woodland by connecting habitats together
restoring traditional practices, eg coppicing
controlling grazing, especially by large deer populations
You can improve habitats if you’re a competent authority by making sure that privately owned woodland is maintained to allow bird populations to breed on a long-term basis. You can also improve habitats by being familiar with relevant woodland and forest guidelines including any of the following:
UK Forestry Standard
Forestry Commission Practice Guides
Woodlands for Wales Strategy and related policy statement of biodiversity
You also have other ways to act if you’re a competent authority, including any of the following:
apply Environmental Impact Assessment regulations in England and Wales
consider ancient woodland and aged or veteran trees in England and Wales
encourage new ways of supplying and marketing woodland products
promote the benefits of improving woodlands for biodiversity
support research on areas such as woodland species responses to environmental and habitat change
run Countryside Stewardship or Glastir woodland projects
Where to find example projects for woodland areas
Example projects for woodland areas include:
East Midlands woodland bird project - providing financial support to landowners and managers
initiatives under Glastir Woodland schemes - supporting land managers
Community Woodland Management, Conwy - community action in public and private woodlands
Lowland heathland
Competent authorities can provide grants for recreating, restoring and maintaining habitat, and advice on land management methods on lowland heathlands.
What counts as lowland heathland
Lowland heathland is found on acidic, sandy or peaty soils, and usually features a range of dwarf-shrubs. It’s common in the coastal counties of England and Wales (Suffolk, Somerset, the Gower, Pembrokeshire, the Llyn Peninsula, and Anglesey).
You can also find lowland heathland inland, eg in the Thames basin, Breckland, the Midlands, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, South Wales valleys and Snowdonia.
Examples of lowland heathland wild birds include the nightjar, woodlark and stonechat.
How to improve habitat conditions on lowland heathland
You can improve habitat conditions on lowland heathland if you’re a competent authority in different ways, including any of the following:
restoring heathlands (including those on public land) by ensuring appropriate grazing and cutting, and addressing sources of pollution and nutrient enrichment
expanding and reconnecting fragments of heathland, specifically by using the government’s policy on open habitats
planning and development control can protect existing heathland, and land that could be recreated as heathland
consider the economic and public value of lowland heathland ecosystems when making future decisions on land use
You can also run Countryside Stewardship projects if you’re a competent authority.
Where to find example projects for lowland heathland
Example projects for lowland heathland include:
the Gower Commons initiative - improving access and recreation as well as habitats
tomorrow’s heathland heritage programme - large-scale recreation and restoration of habitats
suitable alternative natural greenspaces in the Thames Basin Heaths - directing visitors away from vulnerable sites
Freshwater wetlands
You can protect wetland habitats for wild birds if you’re a competent authority by improving water quality and controlling diffuse pollution, eg agricultural or industrial run-off.
What counts as freshwater wetlands
Freshwater wetlands includes all of the following:
a wide variety of aquatic habitats in lowland and upland areas
swamps, marshes, bogs, floodplains and fen
rivers, streams and ditches in lowland and upland environments
Examples of freshwater wetland wild birds include the mute swan, mallard duck and kingfisher.
How to improve habitat conditions on freshwater wetlands
You can manage water levels to avoid extremes of flooding and drying out if you’re a competent authority.
You can also:
restore rivers and catchment areas including flood defences
support programmes that restore habitats before, during and after mineral extraction
create habitats through projects such as nature improvement areas (NIAs) in England only
improve the water environment through river basin management plans in England and Wales
run Countryside Stewardship or Glastir projects
Where to find example projects for freshwater wetlands
Example projects for freshwater wetlands include:
nature after minerals programme - advising minerals operators, planning officers, environmental groups and Natural England
Nene Valley NIA - helping farmers to access EU grants, contributing to university research and the rural economy
fens for the future partnership - creating and restoring a network of wetland habitats
pond creations - working with local communities to create 30 ponds in south Wales
Marine and coastal
You can provide wild bird habitat in coastal wetlands if you’re a competent authority by adopting a sustainable approach to coastal defences in:
England
Wales
This includes the managed realignment of coastal habitats, where flood defences are altered to allow a defended area to flood, creating intertidal habitat.
What counts as marine and coastal areas
Marine and coastal areas include all of the following:
coastal cliffs, slopes, sand dunes and shingle banks
saltmarsh and mudflats
inshore and offshore reefs
sea grass and mollusc beds on which wild birds may depend for food
Examples of marine and coastal wild birds include waders, puffins and gulls.
How to improve habitat conditions in marine and coastal areas
You can improve habitat conditions in marine and coastal areas in different ways if you’re a competent authority, including contributing to the management of any of the following:
special protection areas for coastal and marine habitats
marine protected areas
These areas support the breeding success and survival rates of wild seabirds by improving feeding conditions and managing activities that might disturb them.
You can also do any of the following if you’re a competent authority:
supporting sustainable fisheries and shellfisheries, eg using funding and decision-making on licensing and byelaws
create new habitats, eg through managed realignment
make sure that new infrastructure like wind farms are placed where it will have the least impact
carry out marine planning for England and Wales that support wild birds, eg encouraging developments that consider wildlife and the environment
Where to find examples of marine and coastal projects
Example projects for marine and coastal habitats include:
managing coastal slopes by Pembrokeshire coast national park authority - creating habitats using traditional methods of farming
climbing restrictions by Pembrokeshire outdoor charter group - a voluntary agreement to protect feeding and nesting sites
habitat creation programme - includes securing compensatory habitat for future coastal defence works
Urban habitats
You can use urban planning measures if you’re a competent authority to provide wild bird habitat, and promote the benefits for biodiversity.
What counts as urban habitats
Urban habitats include a wide range of city centre streets, public parks, gardens, derelict and undeveloped areas.
Examples of urban wild birds include the swift, house sparrow and starling.
How to improve habitat conditions in urban habitats
You can enhance your natural and local environment if you’re a competent authority by:
supporting wildlife, recreation, carbon storage and food production
reducing flood risk and pollution
You can secure habitat if you’re a competent authority by:
granting tree preservation orders
connecting fragmented habitats and creating wildlife corridors
design buildings, green spaces and drainage systems to create areas for nesting, roosting and feeding, including artificial roost sites
You can design and create green infrastructure to maintain and enhance biodiversity.
You can also do any of the following if you’re a competent authority:
check that any work to disturb or control wild birds is carried out under an appropriate bird licence in England or a bird licence in Wales
improve habitat, eg by managing hedgerows and road verges, and creating wildlife corridors
carry out planning and development control
carry out projects to create habitat, eg local wildlife sites
Where to find example projects for urban habitats
Example projects for urban habitats include:
London house sparrow parks project
London’s small parks and squares: a place for nature?
natural buzz - improving undervalued urban green space
Legislation on wild bird habitat
The legislation for providing wild bird habitat includes:
Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 (as amended – read regulation 9A of the Conservation of Habitats and Species (Amendment) 2012 Regulations)
sections 40, 41 and 42 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006
sections 123 and 124 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009
guidance on the duty to conserve biodiversity
in Wales this includes the Environment (Wales) Bill and the Natural Resource Management Programme