§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many miles of hedgerow he estimates will be(a) planted and (b) cut down in the next three years. [8508]
284W
§ Angela EagleThe most recent statistics on hedgerow planting and removal come from a survey of hedgerow changes in England and Wales between the years 1990 to 1993, undertaken by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology on behalf of the Department of the Environment. That survey estimated that on average some 4,400 km of hedgerows were newly planted each year, whilst an average of 3,600 km of hedgerows were removed each year.
Estimates for future years have not been made. New planting is encouraged, in England, through the Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas Schemes administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and, in Wales, through Tir Cymen and the Hedgerow Renovation Scheme operated by the Countryside Council for Wales. Important hedgerows are protected from removal under the Hedgerows Regulations 1997.