Rural hedges

Habitat

Hedges are one of the most ancient elements of the agrarian landscape. In Europe, since the Middle Ages, hedges have been employed to divide the land and as a source of products such as fruits, woods and forage.

With the development of latifundiums and monocultures, often very intense, hedges have disappeared or drastically reduced to allow the easy movement of machines more and more big and powerful.

Typical species

The variety of species in a country hedge is the reason for its ecologic value.

Hawthorn, dogwood, sanguinello, euonymus, blackthorn, hazelnut tree have flowers and fruits in different seasons, guaranteeing the survival of lots of species that use them for nutrition, but also for shelter during the nesting season or wintering.

Ecological net

The ecological net is known as an interconnected habitat system that creates connection and interchange between isolated environments. Thanks to this, the ecological net is opposed to the fragmentation and its negative impact on the biodiversity.

A fundamental element of the ecological net is the bands of connection, or ecologic hallways. They are linear structures that connect high natural environments and they are the key of the ecologic nets, allowing the species’ mobilities and the genetic exchange.