1. What is it? Traditionally Hedgerows were created for:  Containing livestock in fields  Mark boundaries between parishes  Protect the immediately surrounding area of field from erosion.  Preventing water run off and soil structure However, indirectly, hedgerows contain a high diversity of living organisms. They provide a habitat for wildlife, in particular they are a breeding site for birds.

2. Hedgerow removal starting occurring on a large scale in WW2 for high intensity farming so that large amounts of food could be produced for self-sufficiency What are its Effects? 1)Loss of habitat for living organisms=Loss of diversity 2)Variation decreases as isolating barriers to different ecosystems are removed=exchange of alleles 3)Weakening of soil structure and soil erosion 4)Increased run-off of solutions 5)Increased predation on crops by insects that would normally be preyed upon by predators in hedges

3. How might some of the effects be overcome?  Replant the Hedgerows, grants are available for this  Develop new wildlife areas for habitats to encourage greater biodiversity  Such as increasing woodland, numbers of gardens  Prevent removal of as many hedgerows as possible in the future-you now have to apply legally to do this  Use insecticides to overcome predation  Make an alternative barrier e.g a wall to isolate populations and increase variation of alleles