Deer are one of the most valued parts of the British countryside, but in the wrong numbers they can do serious damage. Browsing and stripping can stop woodland regenerating, wipe out ground flora and put rare habitats and species under pressure. If you manage land in Dorset, Devon, Hampshire, Wiltshire or beyond, there is funding available to help you tackle it.
What is CWS1?
CWS1: Deer control and management is an action within Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT), run by Defra and the Rural Payments Agency. Its aim is to reduce the harm deer cause to priority habitats and species, so that those habitats and species can thrive.
How much does it pay?
The action pays £105 per hectare per year over a 10-year agreement. For larger sites, that is a significant long-term commitment to getting deer numbers under control.
Is my land eligible?
You can apply on eligible land where native or naturalised deer (roe, red or fallow) are causing harm to priority habitats and species, or where invasive non-native deer (Chinese water deer, Reeves’ muntjac or sika) are present.
Eligible land types are wide-ranging and include woodland, scrub, heathland, permanent grassland and arable land. The action is usually paired with a habitat creation or management action on the same land. If you aren’t doing one, you’ll need approval from your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer.
What do you have to do?
Your Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer will assess your land and agree the activities with you. To be paid, you must put up an agreed number of deer monitoring structures (exclosures) in year 1, carry out the agreed level of culling set out in your species management plan, and carry out habitat impact assessments in years 1, 5 and 10.
You’ll also need to keep evidence, such as impact assessment reports, records of cull numbers (with photographs if requested) and receipts for work carried out.
Consents and licences
You’ll need a species management plan agreed with the Forestry Commission and Natural England if your application includes non-woodland habitats. Depending on your site, you may also need Scheduled Monument Consent, Natural England consent for work on an SSSI, or a licence to shoot deer during the close season or at night. Capital grants may also be available to help fund a species management plan or the exclosures.
Where WILDFORCE comes in
The paperwork is only half the picture. The payment depends on delivering the culling and monitoring, safely, legally and to the standard your agreement requires. That’s where we come in.
WILDFORCE provides professional wildlife, deer and invasive species management across Dorset, Devon, Hampshire and Wiltshire. We work with landowners, farmers and estates to deliver deer management that is humane, well documented and tailored to the habitat you’re trying to protect. That includes the careful record keeping you’ll need as evidence.
Thinking about CWS1?
If you’re considering an application, or you already have an agreement and need a reliable team to deliver the deer management side of it, get in touch. We’re happy to talk through your land, your deer pressure and what a practical management approach might look like.
Contact WILDFORCE today for a no-obligation conversation.