Environmental, agricultural, legal, and methodological issues

by Stéphanie Aviron (editorial coordination), Audrey Alignier (editorial coordination)
Collection: Synthèses
september 2026
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Summary

Within rural areas, hedgerows fulfil a wide range of functions: physical boundaries, productive elements, habitats for biodiversity, planning tools, and more. They meet societal expectations that are constantly evolving. At the intersection of the multiple expectations and uses of the various local stakeholders, hedgerows can be considered a common good that needs to be preserved—and even restored and developed—in response to the challenges posed by climate change, biodiversity loss, and agricultural sustainability.

However, do hedgerows actually support multifunctionality? Under what conditions does this multifunctionality emerge? How can we promote the adoption of management practices that support this multifunctionality, both at the farm and territorial levels? To what extent can current regulatory tools and incentive schemes contribute to supporting the protection, restoration, or replanting of hedgerows? Finally, how can the conditions of hedgerows and their multiple functions be monitored at different scales?

This interdisciplinary work provides an overview of current scientific knowledge and reflects the diversity of emerging advances—both conceptual and methodological—on hedgerows and the multifunctionality they can support at various scales. It is intended for scientists and engineers, as well as for higher education and agricultural institutions.

Read the prefaces (Marc Deconchat and Bénédicte Augeard)

See the supplementary bibliography for this book (in French)

Table of contents

Foreword

Marc Deconchat

Foreword

Bénédicte Augeard

Introduction

Audrey Alignier, Stéphanie Aviron
A shift toward multiple societal expectations
What are the barriers and drivers for the maintenance, restoration, and planting of hedgerows?
Assessing the condition of hedgerows and their potential
Presentation of objectives
Selected references

Part 1. Biodiversity and the multiple services supported by hedgerows in agricultural landscapes

Chapter 1. Hedgerows as habitats for biodiversity

Pierre-Antoine Précigout, Audrey Alignier, Émilie Andrieu, Stéphanie Aviron, Alexandre Boissinot, Guillaume Decocq, Jonathan Lenoir, Olivier Lourdais, Florence Matutini, Benoît Ricci, Justine Rivers-Moore, Corinne Robert
Hedgerows as multi-layered, linear vegetation structures
Biodiversity in hedgerows
A variety of ecological niches
Resources and habitats provided by hedgerows
The role of hedgerows in supporting biodiversity at the landscape scale
Conclusion
Selected references

Chapter 2. Ecosystem services provided by hedgerows in agricultural landscapes

Antoine Gardarin, Valérie Viaud, Audrey Alignier, Stéphanie Aviron, Sarah Bunel, Florence Matutini, Catherine Moret, Benoît Ricci, Corinne Robert, David Rolland, Valentin Verret, Pierre-Antoine Précigout
Provisioning services provided by hedgerows
The effects of hedgerows on crop yields
Biological regulation services related to crops
Regulation and supporting services related to water and soils
The role of hedgerows in mitigating the effects of climate change
Hedgerows as a lever for promoting multifunctional agriculture and landscapes?
Conclusion
Selected references

Part 2. Hedgerow management for biodiversity and landscape multifunctionality

Chapter 3. Changes in local societies, technical models, and hedgerow management practices

Thibaut Preux, Claudine Thenail, Philippe Blondeau
Hedgerows as landscape elements at the interface between rural areas and societies
Contemporary changes in agricultural hedgerow management practices
Conclusion
Selected references

Chapter 4. Incentives and limiting factors for sustainable farming systems that promote hedgerow multifunctionality

Claudine Thenail, Philippe Blondeau
Incentives and support approaches at the farm level
Designing territorial organizations and sociotechnical systems to promote the sustainable development of hedgerows
Conclusion
Selected references

Chapter 5. Hedgerows at the intersection with law

Alexandra Langlais, Florent Romagoux, Marius Combe, Léa Lemoine
Hedgerows: A new focus of public policy and a new legal issue?
Challenges arising from implementing hedgerow multifunctionality
Conclusion
Selected references

Part 3. Characterizing hedgerows and their multifunctionality at different scales

Chapter 6. Quantitative and qualitative monitoring of hedgerows and hedgerow networks

Sarah Bunel, Alexis Pernet, Loïc Commagnac, Catherine Moret, David Rolland, Sophie Morin
Indicators of the ecological condition of hedgerows in relation to their potential functions
Assessing human pressures and their impacts on hedgerows
Indicators of societal response for resilient landscapes
Addressing the sensitive dimension of hedgerows in landscape planning
Conclusion
Selected references

Chapter 7. Assessing hedgerow properties through image analysis and spatial analysis

David Sheeren, Daniel Delahaye, Mathilde Guillemois, Gabriel Marquès, Sophie Morin, Romain Reulier
Hedgerows and their spatial representations
The contribution of remote sensing imagery to describing the structural and functional characteristics of hedgerows
Characterizing the context of hedgerows through spatial analysis
Historical trajectory of hedgerows
Conclusion
Selected references

Chapter 8. Mapping the ecological functions supported by hedgerows

Émilie Andrieu, Jacques Baudry, Hugues Boussard, Antoine Colin, Loïc Commagnac, Mathieu Dassot, Daniel Delahaye, Jean Christophe Foltête, Anouk Glad, Mathilde Guillemois, Marc Lang, Frédéric Letouzé, Romain Reulier, Yohan Sahraoui, David Sheeren
Modeling the windbreak effect of hedgerows
Modeling the role of hedgerows in hydro-sedimentary transfers
Modeling the role of hedgerows in species dispersal
Modeling the effect of hedgerow network structure on the biodiversity of woody habitats
Modeling the biological regulation functions supported by biodiversity
Modeling the role of hedgerows in carbon storage
Conclusion
Selected references

See the supplementary bibliography for this book (in French)

Conclusion

Stéphanie Aviron, Audrey Alignier
Glossary
Abbreviations and acronyms
List of contributors

Press

More contents

Features

Language(s): French

Publisher: Éditions Quae

Collection: Synthèses

Published: 24 september 2026

Reference Book: 03069

Reference eBook [PDF]: 03069NUM

Reference eBook [ePub]: 03069EPB

EAN13 Book: 9782759243280

EAN13 eBook [PDF]: 9782759243297

EAN13 eBook [ePub]: 9782759243303

DOI eBook [PDF] : 10.35690/978-2-7592-4329-7

Interior: Black & white

Format (in mm) Book: 160 x 240

Pages count Book: 266

Pages count eBook [PDF]: 266

Size: 9.34 MB (PDF), 6.16 MB (ePub)

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