The problem

England has lost more than half its hedgerows since 1947 - which is more than 200,000 miles of hedgerow.  And between 1947 and 1985, over 4,300 miles of dry stone walls were lost, with 96% of the remaining walls in need of restoration. This loss and neglect has badly damaged the beauty and diversity of our landscape.

Regulations need to be stronger
The Government's Hedgerow Regulations, which were created in 1997, need to be strengthened.

The regulations currently apply to just 'important' hedgerows on farmland. A hedgerow is considered important if it is over 20m long, at least 30 years old and meets criteria based around the number of species in it, historical significance and associated hedge features, such as hedge bank, ditch, tree or connections with ponds. A land manager wishing to remove a hedgerow has to notify the local planning authority. If the hedgerow is considered important, the planning authority will protect it. But if the land manager doesn't receive a response within 42 days, he can remove the hedgerow.

DEFRA – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – intends to make changes to the regulations. We are pleased about this because in their current form the regulations fail to protect some of the most important and highly valued of England's hedgerows.

The current regulations do not:

• adequately address the landscape value of hedgerows
• define hedgerow to include features known locally as hedges, such as Cornish hedge-banks
• protect other landscape features, like dry stone walls and ponds

Hedgerows are also disappearing through neglect
Over 68,000 miles of hedgerow were lost through neglect between 1984 and 1993. All around our countryside, you can see hedgerows that are on their way to oblivion.

Hedgerows are living things that need to be maintained and managed to stay in good condition. Hedgerows require trimming every few years and, periodically, more intensive management such as laying or coppicing. If they are neglected, they can become overgrown and eventually the woody plants within the hedgerows mature into individual trees. If the trees are not cut back and laid within the hedge, they'll eventually become a row of single trees and the hedge will be gone.

Hedgerows that are in fields holding sheep also need to be managed. If the hedges don't have fences protecting them, they can be overgrazed and die.