Enhancing ditches for wildlife can yield valuable points in environmental schemes, as well as helping meet the aims of the Campaign for the Farmed Environment. Ditches are vital wetland habitats across large parts of the countryside, particularly in predominantly arable areas, which can become more valuable with the right management. With their mix of permanent water and relative undisturbed rough vegetation, they can provide important refuges for small mammals, including harvest mice and water volesand nesting birds, such as reed bunting. A well-managed wet ditch can also develop a rich flora of wedand plants. Ideally, all ditches on a farm should be managed on a rotational basis, clearing short sections of the ditch bank, typically one-quarter toone-third of the bank length each year.
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