Regulatory services delivered by hedges: the evidence base

Abstract

This report presents an evidence based review of the regulatory ecosystem services delivered by hedges. These services are those that benefit people through the regulation of processes such as water purification, soil erosion and crop pollination, as opposed to provisioning services which generate products,or cultural services that benefit our recreation, health or learning. All these services are underpinned by biodiversity. Nine regulatory ecosystem services are covered: water quality improvement, flood risk reduction, soil loss reduction (erosion), crop water availability, crop pest reduction, crop pollination improvement, shelter provision (crops and livestock), climate change mitigation and urban air quality. These are the main regulatory services delivered by hedges, with the exception of their role as barriers regulating movement of livestock and people and as markers of land occupancy.