The level of planning required depends on the area of the site, land ownership issues, known restrictions, the form of funding and the demands made by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.
If you apply for financial support for your wetland project, it’s important to find out in advance what the sponsor’s requirements for the level of planning and the characteristics of the wetland are.
Simple planning is enough when:
- the site is located on your own land and the impacts remain within your land
- the project can be implemented without a water permit
- no special restrictions or demands are directed at the planned area, resulting from land use or community development
- there is no waterbody, virgin streambed, valuable habitat or planned area in the wetland site or its immediate surroundings, nor a special agreement for financial support or any other restriction for the site
- the project is implemented with your own funding.
More detailed planning will be necessary if:
- the wetland is established on an area of land with multiple owners
- establishing the wetland requires a water permit
- special restrictions or demands are directed at the planned area, resulting from land use or community development
- the site borders on a valuable waterbody or natural sites
- outside funding is used for establishing the wetland (forms of wetland support: Leader, support for non-productive investments, Kemera).
You can make the plan yourself or buy it as a service from a service provider, depending on the demands on the level of planning and your own skills.
- Large and demanding sites benefit from the services of a professional wetland planner who will have a good vision of the area’s possibilities and its limitations.
- Almost all excavation contractors have contouring equipment at their disposal. Ask, for example, an excavator driver you know to visit your simple site to have a look at it and do some contouring. Drivers of such vehicles who know something about wetland construction often have good insight into the practical side of the implementation work.
- When establishing a wetland on your own land and in clear-cut parts of terrain, floodwater may be a good and even sufficient help for contouring.