The Benefits of Hedgerows
The benefits that hedgerows provide for biodiversity are endless. In a heavily fragmented landscape, hedgerows link up valuable habitats for wildlife such as woodland, grassland and ponds. This connects populations that would otherwise be isolated and vulnerable, and allows relocation to better habitat. Over 100 priority species utilise hedgerows for a variety of reasons such as for shelter, food, or navigation. Birds and small mammals nest in hedges, bats use hedgerows as foraging grounds and navigational markers, and reptiles hide in the long tussocky margins associated with hedgerows.
Hedgerows do a lot for us too! They provide flood relief, modulate noise, water, and air pollution, and alleviate climate change by sequestering carbon and storing it in their woody growth, roots, and the soil's organic matter beneath the ground.
Within a farming context, hedgerows have the potential to increase crop yield as they support diverse populations of pollinators, are a haven for predatory and parasitic insects reducing crop pests. They also act as a buffer during high winds, preventing soil erosion and damage to crops. Hedgerows can increase livestock growth rates, survival rates and milk yield as they provide shade and shelter in extreme weather.
