Creative Schools Webinar – Drawing from Nature: Hedgerows and Habitats

Ireland's Hedgerow Crisis

Ireland's hedgerows form one of Europe's densest networks, acting as linear habitats that connect fragmented landscapes and support a wide range of wildlife, from pollinators and insects to birds and small mammals. They provide shelter, food sources, and migration pathways in a country where agriculture dominates 64% of land use and intensive practices have driven widespread biodiversity loss.

Recent assessments paint a stark picture. The 2025 Article 17 report under the EU Habitats Directive found 90% of protected habitats in unfavourable status, with over half showing deteriorating trends. This includes grasslands and scrub habitats where hedgerows play a key role, affected by agricultural intensification, unsuitable grazing, farmland abandonment leading to scrub overgrowth, and removal for field enlargement.

The timing is driven by the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, adopted in 2024 and in force since August that year. It mandates member states to restore at least 20% of land and sea areas by 2030, with increasing targets to 2050, and specifically calls for enhancing high-diversity landscape features on farmland—explicitly including hedgerows. Ireland must deliver a National Restoration Plan by September 2026, outlining concrete measures amid ongoing stakeholder consultations.

Stakes are high for farmers, who manage most hedgerows and face potential shifts in land management under schemes like ACRES, while the government allocates increased funding—such as €172 million for nature in recent budgets—to scale restoration. Inaction risks further species declines, reduced ecosystem services like pollination and flood control, and EU non-compliance penalties. Local surveys, like Limerick's finding 40% of hedgerows in poor condition, highlight the scale of needed intervention.

Tensions arise between biodiversity goals and agricultural productivity: strengthening hedgerow protections could limit farm flexibility, yet well-managed hedgerows boost resilience against climate impacts and support carbon sequestration. Farmers' groups emphasise voluntary incentives over mandates, while environmental advocates push for stricter enforcement to reverse decades of net loss.