A 130-metre hedge was planted in the field of the Mäemõisa in the municipality of Rakke to support biodiversity in an agricultural landscape. The hedge, made up of Ribes alpinum, Craetagus submollis, Lonicera xylosteum, Viburnum opulus, Rhamnus catharcticus, Corylus avellana, Ulmus glabra, Sorbus aucuparia and some other domestic shrubs and trees, aims to improve the biodiversity in the landscape as well as the abundance of natural pest enemies and pollinators in the field.
Landscape Biodiversity Workgroup is testing agroecological techniques supporting biodiversity in fields across Estonia, including establishing hedgerows on grassland strips that diversify the fields.
"The demonstration field in Mäemõisa was the first where we planted a hedge surrounded by a grassland strip. The hedge is made up of trees and shrubs brought from the forests belonging to the farm or grown from local material. Biodiverse hedges increase the heterogeneity of a monotonous agricultural landscape and provide habitats for many different species," says Krista Takkis, Researcher in Restoration Ecology, who supervised the planning process and will oversee the biodiversity monitoring in the coming years. "In addition, we are experimenting with assisted self-renewal of hedges in the field, which could help to establish hedges in a more natural way and with less effort and time spent."
"Communication with the family at Mäemõisa, especially Marian, was an example of very effective cooperation for the benefit of nature. In the next years, we will plant still more than 5 kilometres of hedgerows or tree strips on the lands of this farm."
The various agroecological techniques supporting organic farming are being tested as one of the activities of the LIFE-IP project "ForEst&FarmLand”.
More information:
Krista Takkis
