Cornish Hedge Market Testing

A Cornish Hedge is a stone-faced earth and rab (a type of stony soil) filled bank. It has a concave batter (shape) and is twice as wide at its base than its top. Traditionally, these hedges were built with ditches on either side. The earliest Cornish Hedges are about 3,500 years old, making them one of the oldest human-made structures still used for their original purpose. They are as ancient as some of the later Egyptian pyramids. Cornish Hedges are neither a hedgerow or a dry-stone wall, they are unique and mainly found in Cornwall. Cornish Hedges are common across the protected landscape. They link all 12 Sections of our National Landscape and provide connections across the whole of the county.

Culturally and environmentally important, Cornish Hedges need protection and management to thrive. Spanning 30,000 miles, they form Cornwall’s largest semi-natural habitat. Despite their importance, there is a significant gap in evidence at scale to fully capture the contributions of Cornish Hedges to ecosystem services and natural capital value.

We are looking to find out more about Cornish hedges on farm and how we can support farmers and land managers to create more, repair and gap up Cornish hedges. We think that there is a funding gap, amongst other challenges, but it’s only a guess. We want to understand fully so that we can develop better tools and resources to help conserve and enhance the Cornish hedge.

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Do Cornish hedges contribute to the farm business?

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

How important are Cornish hedges to the farm business?

Selected Value: 0

0 Not at all 10 Very important

To what extent do Cornish hedges have value for nature

Selected Value: 0

0 Not at all 10 Very important

To what extent do Cornish hedges have value for water quality?

Selected Value: 0

0 Not at all 10 Very important

To what extent do Cornish hedges have value for Flood control?

Selected Value: 0

0 Not at all 10 Very important

To what extent do Cornish hedges have value for carbon fixing? (sequestration)

Selected Value: 0

0 Not at all 10 Very important

To what extent do Cornish hedges have value for carbon storage (in woody tops, vegetation and soils)

Selected Value: 0

0 Not at all 10 Very important

What on-farm services do Cornish Hedges offer? (Click all that apply) *

• Soil protection
• Natural pest control
• Wind/ Crop protection
• Shade and shelter for livestock
• Diversity of browse for livestock
• Security for livestock
• Wood fuel
• Farm beauty/ aesthetics
• Other
• None of the above

Have you repaired a Cornish hedge on your farm in the last?

• 3 years
• 3-6 years
• 6-10 years
• 10+ years

Have you built a new a Cornish hedge on your farm in the last?

• 3 years
• 3-6 years
• 6-10 years
• 10+ years

mainly agri-scheme local

How much does a new Cornish hedge cost you to build per metre?

How much does a Cornish hedge cost you to maintain per metre per year?

How much does a Cornish hedge costs to you to repair per metre?

What barriers do you face to repair or creation of new Cornish hedges? (Click all that apply)

• Cost of stone?
• Labour costs?
• Shortage of available stone?
• Shortage of stone of the right type to enable you to build in the traditional style in your area?
• Shortage of skilled hedgers?
• Cost of hedgerow planting on top?
• Lack of time?
• Cost of ongoing management?
• Level of agri-scheme support?
• Lack of other grant funding?
• Potential loses of land/production?
• Field and crop management regime?
• Need to keep field sizes large to facilitate machinery?
• Concerned about weeds and pests?
• Landlord permission?
• Other?
• None of the above

Have you ever planted a hedgerow instead of building a Cornish hedge? *

If yes, please explain why

Have you ever put up a fence instead of building or repairing a Cornish hedge *

If yes, please explain why

Are you currently in an agri-environment scheme scheme? *

• Sustainable Farming Initiative
• Countryside Stewardship
• Landscape Recovery
• Not in a current scheme

Which agri-scheme main options are you in that fund work on Cornish hedges? *

• CHRW4: Manage hedgerows
• CHRW2: Manage hedgerows
• BND2: Maintain earth banks or stone-faced hedgebanks
• CHRW1: Assess and record hedgerow condition
• CHRW3: Maintain or establish hedgerow trees

What agri-scheme capital items are you in that fund work on Cornish hedges? *

• BN11: Planting new hedges
• BN5: Hedgerow laying
• BN6: Hedgerow coppicing
• BN7: Hedgerow gapping-up
• BN10: Hedgerow supplement – top binding and staking
• TE1: Planting standard hedgerow tree
• BN9: Hedgerow supplement – substantial pre-work
• BN4: Earth bank restoration
• BN3: Earth bank creation
• BN8: Hedgerow supplement – casting up
• BN2: Stone-faced bank restoration
• BN1: Stone-faced bank repair

Does agri-environment cover the costs of creating new or replacement Cornish hedges?

Selected Value: 0

0 Not at all 4 Meets the full costs

What is the estimated (£) size of your funding shortfall, per metre, to build a new Cornish hedge? *

Does agri-environment cover the costs of maintaining and repairing your Cornish hedges?

Selected Value: 0

0 Not at all 4 Meets the full costs

What is the estimated (£) size of your funding shortfall, per metre, to maintain/ repair a new Cornish hedge? (copy) *

When do your costs for Cornish hedge works mainly occur?

• Mostly upfront
• Spread over several years
• Mostly ongoing annual costs
• Varies depending on the work

What kind of finance have you received in the past for creation or management of Cornish hedges?

eg. Agri-environment funding, Private funding, Charity funding, Local council funding, Public grants funding e.g. Heritage Lottery

Would you consider the following options for financing work on Cornish hedges?

• Creation and sale of Biodiversity Net Gain hedgerow units (A habitat bank)
• Hedgerow Carbon Code – carbon credits (not yet released)
• A local (Cornwall) trading scheme for Cornish hedges ‘credits’
• A local (Cornwall) grants scheme requiring agri-environment or private source match funding?

What would you consider to be a barrier to entering into a biodiversity or carbon credit private finance scheme?

• Lack of knowledge and understanding of how it works
• Lack of finance to pay consultants to develop a schemed)
• Requirements for legal agreements
• Long term nature of the schemes e.g. 30 year commitment match funding?
• Unsure of the level of payment
• The level of payment is insufficient
• The level of payment is insufficient to justify the time
• The level of payment is insufficient to justify the upfront costs
• Risk of having to repay money or replace credits if carbon or biodiversity outcomes are not delivered (e.g. reversal risk)
• Concern about losing the ability to use land or units for future schemes (e.g. future net zero carbon or BNG requirements)
• Concern about devaluing land
• Concern about inheritance
• Concern about tax
• Concern about needing to cooperate with other landowners to achieve economies of scale

What would incentivise you to participate in a local trading scheme for Cornish hedges? *

• A trusted broker
• An experienced broker
• Involvement of the farming sector in establishing a scheme
• To be handheld through the process
• An accurate idea of costs and benefits
• A streamlined process that dealt with the legal side of things
• A farmer forum to share experiences
• Shorter term agreements e.g. 5-10 years
• Longer term agreements e.g. 30-50 years
• Other

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