Hedgerows hold considerable value to wildlife, increasingly so as the area of other semi-natural habitats decreases. Since the end of WWII, up to half of Britain’s hedgerows have been removed. Luckily, Sapperton Wilder’s hedgerows are mainly still intact, with over 10 km in relatively good quality.
In 2023, two Masters students developed a citizen science project to survey the hedgerows with monthly survey events. Citizen scientists collected baseline data on one third of the hedges on site, helping to determine the health and diversity of our hedgerows.
Not only has this project helped guide our hedgerow management, but also providing us with a best practice guide on how to create citizen science project and the social impacts.
