The Importance of Flowering Hedges in Our Landscapes
Introduction to Walloon Hedges
In Belgium, and particularly in Wallonia, we have several large bocage areas. These are rural regions where grasslands and fields are bordered and protected by hedges and wooded strips of varying sizes. The Pays de Herve, the Ardennes, and the Fagnes are particularly representative of these areas.
Agricultural practices and farmers contributed to making the bocage common in our regions from the 17th century. Some hedges, however, grew spontaneously, while others are remnants of our forests, from the time when villagers cleared them, leaving only the edges.
Both aesthetic and practical, this network in our landscapes is an integral part of an ecological network. It creates biological corridors, encouraging the movement of flora and fauna. It thus plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity.
The Disappearance of the Bocage in Our Regions
However, despite its many advantages, hedges are gradually disappearing from our landscapes. This process began in the 1970s and is still ongoing. Several reasons explain this, including lack of maintenance, the use of barbed wire, land consolidation, and many others.
One of the main causes of this erosion is the evolution of our way of life and, with it, the rise of intensive agriculture. In the constant search for more land to cultivate or raise livestock, hedges have become an obstacle. Moreover, tractors and other agricultural machines now require wider passages. This is why many farmers have chosen to remove these biological corridors.
Flowering Hedges and Biodiversity
The hedge, composed of various shrubs and herbaceous plants with staggered blooming times across multiple layers, is a real living space. Its trees and shrubs provide shelter for wildlife.
- For example, birds shelter and nest there.
- Among mammals, many find refuge, enjoying this quiet space during their movements. This is especially true for hedgehogs.
- For bats, another mammal in our regions, the hedge helps them navigate when moving around their roosts.
- Some insects also find the necessary conditions for their developmental cycle in hedges.
A Source of Food
For many insects, the flowers of flowering hedges provide pollen as a source of protein and nectar as an energy source. This helps preserve wild bees, of which there are over 350 species in Wallonia.
Crucial for pollination and thus the maintenance of biodiversity, these pollinating insects provide us with numerous ecosystem services, such as the production of fruits, vegetables, and honey. These fruits also serve as food for birds and mammals, thus recreating an interesting trophic chain.
Aids Against Climate Change
Although biodiversity itself is heavily impacted by global warming, it is particularly effective in combating the environmental changes we are facing.
- Plants are able to retain atmospheric CO2.
- They also play a role in purifying air and water.
- They capture and retain moisture in the soil, creating shaded and cooler areas in the summer.
- Moreover, the creation of hedges and embankments helps reduce the risk of floodi
Protection for Crops
Hedges indeed protect crops in several ways: they act as windbreaks, reduce water runoff during heavy rainfall, and decrease soil erosion.
Integration of the Green Infrastructure
Bocage hedges, especially flowering ones, are biological corridors. They offer a passage and shelter to wildlife during its movements, whether they are large or small migrations or simply daily movements.
The « Yes We Plant » Project
The role of hedgerows in maintaining biodiversity is therefore essential. That is why Wallonia has developed the Yes We Plant project, aimed at promoting this land planning practice.
The Project
The goal? To plant 4,000 km of hedges and/or 1 million trees by the end of the 2019-2024 legislative period. By subsidizing the planting of various types of projects, including live hedges, linear coppices, orchards, or tree alignments, Wallonia encourages everyone to fight against biodiversity loss.
Participation at All Levels, Including Citizen and Municipal
Whether a citizen or a municipality, it is certainly possible to participate in this green movement initiated by Wallonia. The many advantages of hedges along fields also apply to private gardens: they provide privacy, block the wind, offer shaded areas, and create shelters for birds… At the municipal level, it is also possible to take steps to restore the landscape of our beautiful Wallonia by planting hedges or trees on public land.
Is this project of interest to you? Learn more on the dedicated website.
If you wish to plant a hedge, favor indigenous shrubs and plant different species that will bloom at different times, extending the visual enjoyment and the positive effects for wildlife.
