Guilty or scapegoat? Land consolidation and hedgerow decline

Land consolidation is a standard policy tool to reduce land fragmentation through the spatial redistribution of property rights; however, the risk of adverse effects on the landscape raises concerns about its environmental sustainability. This study investigates the landscape impacts of consolidation on the hedgerow network of Lower Normandy, France. Implementing a staggered difference-in-differences strategy on a longitudinal survey (1972–2010), we show that consolidation led to a significant reduction in hedgerow density of −14.3 m/ha (standard error: 2.33), accounting for 13.7 % of the overall decline observed in consolidated areas. We also find a diminishing impact over time of consolidation and time since consolidation, an increasing impact with higher initial hedgerow density, no spillover effect, and a negative impact on network connectivity. An outline cost-benefit analysis suggests that the social costs of uprooting hedgerows outweigh the private benefits. Overall, this paper confirms that land consolidation has significantly contributed to the decline of hedgerows with economic costs, but it challenges prevailing beliefs about the policy’s share of responsibility with respect to other landscape change factors.