Some thoughts on resilience in natural and human landscapes

Fragmentation affects people as well as landscapes. Connectivity is  important for personal resilience as much as it is for biodiversity in a landscape. Isolation can lead to the extinction of an individual as much as a species. Isolation of a species in a woodland for instance can be mitigated by increasing connectivity by planting hedgerows. For people, connections need to be made to others: humans didn’t evolve to be alone but are group-living organisms and isolation impacts profoundly on our mental health.  But for both, the quality of the connection and how it is managed is critical. If a connection is not maintained it deteriorates. Some connections may act as traps: negative relationships with people can be damaging to a person and prevent them from flourishing. Hedgerows in poor condition may actually  increase predation risk (hedgehogs and badgers?).

Look for opportunities to make good connections and work to keep them that way.

2 responses to “Some thoughts on resilience in natural and human landscapes”

  1. Edward Avatar
    Edward

    I’m intruiged as to how conditions in poorly maintained hedges increase predation. Is is simply because the hedge becomes loose and open, so it provides less cover for small things?

    I agree with the sentiment about connections – wise people are often skilled at making friends with people that disagree with their ideas, while unhappy people tend to be adept at generating bad will. The mania of having to be in the right (for which other people must be in the wrong) is the root of most toxic personal connections, in my view. It is also vital to success in many walks of life – what a muddle it is to be human.

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    1. hedgiejim Avatar
      hedgiejim

      Edward- in a nutshell yes. Hedgerows will eventually lose canopy in the base as the shrubs thicken over time and growth originates in the upper stem. Research has shown that species like bank voles and hedgehogs require shrubby cover to prevent them from being predated.
      Hedgerows that are either over-managed- cut once a year to the same height -or left unmanaged and so grow into trees tend to loose their base quicker than hedgesrows cut once every 3 years or less, and not to the same height every time, allowing the shrubs to do what they do which is grow.

      Thats an interesting comment about being inflexible in your views which I agree with. I think what my education has taught me is how much I don’t know and that the more you look the more there is to see. I find it incredible how people can be intrenched in a particular belief with out leaving the possibility that they might be wrong..

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