Hedgerow: Where Ecology and Agriculture Merge

Hedgerow: 

Where Ecology and Agriculture Merge 

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Boundary and waterway hedgerows; Contour hedgerows

 

Hedgerows on field boundaries are popular in Europe and countries where the original forest cover has been removed.  Hedgerows may develop into ecosystems through the years, in fact centuries.  Here, species composition - plants and animals - has reached homeostasis (dynamic balance). In advance cases, hedgerows have become natural forests.   

 

Hedgerows -   

 

•      serve as wildlife sanctuary

•      serve  as windbreak and shade

•      prototype agro-forest and orchard 

•      source of wood and fuel, other materials, 

•      cushion global warming, 

•      control erosion and siltation  

•      contribute to aesthetic beauty 

Hedgerows are living fences or boundary lines composed of closely planted shrubs, trees, flowers, and grasses. Far more than just property markers, they are highly biodiverse ecosystems essential for both traditional agriculture and environmental conservation. Acknowledgement with gratitude: Internet/Wikipedia