Jo Staley, Lisa Norton (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) and Rob Wolton (Devon Hedge Group and Hedgelink) present their latest Perspective article calling for and providing recommendations for improving and expanding hedgerows as a valuable habitat and carbon store. Hedgerows, and having more of them, are high on the policy agenda with a target for a 10% national increase by 2050 in the recent … Continue reading More and better hedgerows
Research recently published in Journal of Applied Ecology shows how hedgerows and road verges can host more plant species than corresponding woodland and grassland. Lead author, Thomas Vanneste and Associate Editor, Pieter De Frenne highlight what this means for managers and policymakers. Hedgerows and road verges are important habitats across the globe. Road verges cover an estimated 270,000 km² (0.2 %) of the earth’s land … Continue reading Hedging against biodiversity loss
In their recent study, Ben Phillips and colleagues reveal the importance of road verges as habitats for pollinators, as well as the negative impacts of current management actions. But how can we improve the situation? Most of us spend a good part of our days travelling on roads. The remains of the animals that stare back at us from the asphalt – the victims of … Continue reading Protecting pollinators through better road verge management
The Applied Ecologist 