Natural England

England's 36 Varieties - Disappearing Fast - 30 May 2000

Hedgerows are an integral part of our countryside - yet in just 50 years, half the length of England's hedgerows have disappeared. 

In a bid to halt this decline and help government strengthen their hedgerow protection regime, the Countryside Agency has identified at least 36 locally distinctive hedgerow types which help create the character of England's rural landscapes. 

Launching the hedgerow research today, Ewen Cameron, chairman of the Countryside Agency, said: "Hedgerows have become cherished features of our countryside. Not only are they important wildlife habitats, but their varied patterns and styles contribute to the character of our lowland landscapes. They define the 'sense of place' and often provide an important link with our past.

"The Hedgerow Regulations introduced in 1997 attempted to control the loss but we want to ensure that, when these regulations are amended later this year, the strengthened criteria will provide protection for a much larger proportion of hedgerows, in particular those that are distinctive in different parts of our countryside."

But Mr Cameron pointed out that: "England's framework of traditional field boundaries is threatened as much by a lack of appropriate management as by their deliberate removal. Schemes such as Countryside Stewardship are already helping some farmers manage their hedgerows better by including grants to restore their condition, but spending significant additional resources on these landscape features would go a long way to improving the fabric of the countryside."

A colourful poster has also been produced to raise public awareness of the importance of locally distinctive hedgerows to the English countryside and to the birds, insects and small mammals that depend on them for nesting, shelter and food. Examples include:

distinctive 'shaws' in the Sussex Weald

beech hedges which typify Exmoor and the Quantocks

salt tolerant tamarisk of windswept coastal areas

damson hedgerows in Herefordshire 

Deal Rows - abandoned hedgerows of Scots pine in Breckland 
The Hedgerows of England poster and/or the research notes Locally distinctive hedgerows are available free from Countryside Agency Publications, P.O.Box 125, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 7EP or Tel: 0870 120 6466.