Community helps farm pinpoint biodiversity value of hedgerows
Combining nature recovery, sustainable farming and community engagement, a project at Slade Farm Organics, with funding from AFN Network+, has explored how hedgerow management contributes to biodiversity and nature resilience. Farmer Polly Davies, based in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales, used funding to design and carry out two public hedgerow survey days on the farm, attended by 29 local residents, amateur naturalists and families. Inspecting the hedgerows, which had been managed either through traditional laying or recent coppicing, participants identified plants, birds, fungi and invertebrates using ID sheets, mobile apps, and shared observations on a portable whiteboard. Results found that recently coppiced and laid hedgerows showed the greatest biodiversity and a broad mix of species, which highlights how proactive, rotational hedgerow management is key to habitat diversity and resilience.
Findings were shared via the farm’s podcast Living Field, which also shared tips for other farmers to make community-focused biodiversity monitoring both engaging and effective. These ranged from investing in high-quality ID sheets to help encourage beginners, to a user-friendly identification app, such as ObsIdentify. A conscious effort was also made to ensure the event was informal, approachable and outdoors, reducing barriers for those who may feel excluded from more formal scientific or farming environments, with positive feedback summarised in the podcast.
Overall, the Slade Farm survey adds to a growing bank of evidence supporting the ecological and climate benefits of managed hedgerows in sustainable farming systems. Of equal value was how the project fostered ecological learning and community connection through hands-on surveys and shared discovery. This approach helped raise awareness of nature-friendly farming in the local community, and would be a simple, yet valuable, model to replicate across other farms as biodiversity plays an increasingly prominent role in land-use decisions. The project also began to highlight hedgerows’ role in carbon sequestration via woody biomass and improved soil health. The farm is looking to explore this area further by soil sampling in and around hedgerows, to help inform understanding of nature-based solutions and net zero.
