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Original published plan -
Ancient and/or species-rich hedgerows
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The information shown on this page are the original targets and actions from the plan as first
published. The targets have since been reviewed and the work programmes have been updated, so this
information is provided for reference only.
T1
Halt the net loss of species-rich hedgerows through neglect and removal by the year 2000.
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| Target type |
UK value |
Units |
Start date |
End date |
| Maintain extent |
190000 |
Kilometres |
1995 |
2000 |
T2
Halt all loss of hedgerows which are both ancient and species-rich by 2005.
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| Target type |
UK value |
Units |
Start date |
End date |
| Maintain extent |
190000 |
Kilometres |
1995 |
2005 |
T3
Achieve favourable condition for 25% (c.47,500 km) of species-rich and ancient hedges by 2000.
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| Target type |
UK value |
Units |
Start date |
End date |
| Achieve condition |
47500 |
Kilometres |
1995 |
2000 |
T4
Achieve favourable condition for 50% (c.95,000 km) of species-rich and ancient hedges by 2005.
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| Target type |
UK value |
Units |
Start date |
End date |
| Achieve condition |
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Kilometres |
2000 |
2005 |
T5
Maintain the overall national number of individual hedgerow trees (estimated by CS2000 to be 1.8 million in Great Britain in 1998), by maintaining the number of such trees within each county or district, through ensuring a balanced age structure.
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| Target type |
UK value |
Units |
Start date |
End date |
| Maintain extent |
1800000 |
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1995 |
ongoing |
Published actions
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Policy and legislation
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| 5.1.1 |
Ensure that grant aid for the management, restoration and establishment of hedgerows is available to farmers. As part of this process, consider a standard payments for all hedge works across land management schemes, to facilitate up-take and administration. (ACTION: DANI, MAFF, SOAEFD, WOAD)
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| 5.1.2 |
Promote the uptake of, and consider extending the scope of, ESA, Countryside Stewardship, Tir Cymen, etc., for the management and restoration of ancient and/or species-rich hedgerows, for the planting of new hedgerows and for the establishment of hedgerow trees. When promoting the management and restoration of hedgerows, emphasise the term important hedgerows (to be defined under the Environment Act 1995 Regulations). (ACTION: CCW, DANI, MAFF, SOAEFD, WOAD)
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| 5.1.3 |
Explore the possibility of making the favourable management of ancient and/or species-rich hedgerows a condition of arable set aside payments. (ACTION: DANI, MAFF, SOAEFD, WOAD)
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| 5.1.4 |
Promote the use of practices that can protect hedges from fertilisers and pesticides, such as conservation headlands and set-aside strips. (ACTION: DANI, MAFF, SOAEFD, WOAD)
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| 5.1.5 |
Seek to extend the hedgerow protection clauses in the Environment Act to Scotland, then enforce the requirements of the Act with respect to important hedges once the necessary regulations have been passed. (ACTION: DoE, LAs, SOAEFD) |
| 5.1.6 |
Enforce the requirement for felling licences for hedgerow trees, as appropriate, and encourage the planting of replacements. (ACTION: FA)
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| 5.1.7 |
Ensure that development plans contain policies to promote the protection and management of hedges and seek to minimise adverse effects on hedges from planning proposals. (ACTION: DoE, DoE(NI), LAs, SO, WO)
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Site safeguard and management
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| 5.2.1 |
Encourage the retention and favourable management of ancient and/or species-rich hedgerows that form an integral part of, enhance, or link Natura 2000 sites. (ACTION: CCW, DoE(NI), EN, SNH) |
| 5.2.2 |
Encourage favourable management of ancient and/or species-rich roadside hedges, especially favourable cutting practices. (ACTION: DoE(NI), DoT, LAs, Highways Agency)
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| 5.2.3 |
Consider the practicality of establishing registers of ancient and of species-rich hedgerows. (ACTION: CCW, DANI, DOE(NI), EN, LAs, SNH, SOAEFD, WOAD) |
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Advisory
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| 5.3.1 |
Consider the development of hedge management skills through training, especially for contractors. (ACTION: Agricultural Training Board, LAs) |
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International
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| 5.4.1 |
Liaise with relevant authorities in France and Eire to exchange information and ideas on hedge conservation, and in particular to form partnerships to gain EC funding. (ACTION: CCW, DANI, DoE(NI), EN, LAs, SNH, SOAEFD, WOAD)
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Monitoring and research
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| 5.5.1 |
Define important hedgerows which should be afforded protection through the Environment Act 1995. |
| 5.5.2 |
Refine the definition of species-rich hedges, and identify priority areas for conservation action, through supporting further systematic UK-wide research into the types of hedges that occur, their biodiversity, and their regional distribution. (ACTION: CCW, DANI, DoE, DoE(NI), EN, SNH, SOAEFD, WOAD) |
| 5.5.3 |
Carry out sample surveys at 10 year intervals in regions throughout the UK to enable trends in ancient and/or species-rich hedgerow status and in numbers of hedgerow trees to be accurately determined. (ACTION: DANI, DoE(NI), DoE, SOAEFD, WOAD) |
| 5.5.4 |
Consider the need for further research on economic outlets for the produce of hedge management such as biomass and fuel wood. (ACTION: CC, DANI, DoE, FA, SOAEFD, WOAD) |
| 5.5.5 |
Consider research on the effects on wildlife of different hedge management regimes. (ACTION: DANI, DoE, MAFF, SOAEFD, WOAD) |
| 5.5.6 |
Research into the colonisation of wildlife from hedges into new woodlands established next to old hedges. (ACTION: CCW, DoE(NI), EN, SNH, FA)
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Communications and publicity
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| 5.6.1 |
Continue to promote an awareness among the public and land managers of the importance of hedgerows and their associated features for wildlife, of the continuing loss of hedgerows, and of the need for management to maintain biodiversity. (ACTION: CCW, DANI, DoE(NI), EN, LAs, MAFF, SNH, SOAEFD, WOAD)
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