Sweeping hedges helps protect wildlife

From September 2010, Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) is asking people all over England to ’sweep’ the nation’s hedges so that the condition of these important habitats can be mapped for conservation.

The OPAL Biodiversity Survey, led by The Open University, aims to find out more about the importance of hedges to nature by asking people to identify the insects that live in them and record what they find.

Sweeping with a brush and a white sheet is an effective and commonly used method of collecting the creatures that call hedges their home, and scientists hope the findings will help them locate thriving hedge hotspots across the country.

Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth, a complex jigsaw made up of plants, animals and their habitats. Hedges are an important habitat and can support a wide diversity of life in all kinds of rural and urban locations.

The survey is part of OPAL’s contribution to the International Year of Biodiversity, a 2010 UN initiative aiming to help people discover the connections between themselves and the natural world around them.

Jonathan Silvertown, Professor of Ecology at The Open University and head of the OPAL Biodiversity Observatory, says: "The biodiversity crisis is the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced.

We might well be able to survive with a fraction of the species that currently provide us with benefits of all kinds, but is that really the future we would choose for our descendants? If not, we need to face up to the fact that nature can no longer be expected to fend for itself.

"This survey will help uncover new information about biodiversity here in England, where loss of species is occurring at an unprecedented scale. Learning more about all havens for wildlife, including hedges, means we can protect nature for future generations."

The survey can be carried out by anyone who wishes to take part from 6 September 2010.

A free identification guide and activity book can be downloaded from the OPAL website at www.opalexplorenature.org. By uploading their findings, participants can help contribute to this national scientific project.

The website will display their survey results, along with those of other participants from around the country, building a picture of the ecological health of our hedges.

The OPAL Biodiversity Survey is led by The Open University, in association with Hedgelink, the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the Tree Council. It is funded by as a part of OPAL’s grant from the Big Lottery Fund of £11.75m.