The ‘Hampshire Hedge’ is a new initiative by local countryside charity, CPRE Hampshire, to connect Hampshire’s two National Parks, the South Downs National Park and the New Forest National Park, with a nature recovery corridor of hedgerow.
Hedgerows play an important role in boosting biodiversity, capturing carbon, improving food production and enhancing the rural community.
The countryside has lost over half of all hedgerows since 1945 and CPRE Hampshire believes it is time to turn this around. The charity has already worked for several years on restoration of hedgerows across the Hampshire countryside, educating and working with local communities, schools, landowners and farmers.
The Hampshire Hedge will wind its way through the centre of Hampshire and link woodlands, meadows, local nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
It will start from Copythorne in the New Forest and finish at Compton, on the edge of the South Downs, near Winchester.
Ellie Banks, Hedgerow Officer at CPRE Hampshire, said: “The Hampshire Hedge offers communities a great opportunity to work together to restore and plant hedges in their local areas. We provide training on the traditional crafts of hedgelaying and offer some great resources to help communities learn surveying and hedgerow management to achieve the full benefits of their rich offerings.”
Donations for the project can be made online at www.cprehampshire.org.uk.