Contemporary themes in hedgerow research in the UK

Abstract

Hedgerows are an important element of the landscape both as a habitat and as a visual component contributing to the character of the countryside. The aim of this paper is to identify key areas of contemporary research into hedgerows in the UK, to assess progress being made in each area, and to highlight areas that need more attention. Key themes were extracted from Barr et al. (1995) and recent papers were assigned to eleven distinct groupings. Two areas were found to have had the most published papers: 'autecological studies' and 'landscape ecology'. Recommendations for future areas of research include the need for a national classification of hedgerow vegetation, long-term large-scale studies on the effects of management and different restoration techniques, and research into population dynamics at the landscape-scale including that into the role of hedgerows as supplementary woodland habitat and as movement corridors.