Planting or improving hedgerows won’t change your area habitat score. Here’s why: under the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) framework, habitats are divided into three separate categories—area habitats (like grasslands or woodlands), hedgerows, and waterways. Each of these is measured independently.

So, if you create or enhance a hedgerow, it will only affect your hedgerow score, not the area habitat score.

For example, imagine you have a site with a grassland area and a hedgerow. If you improve the grassland, it will boost your area habitat score. But if you only focus on enhancing the hedgerow, you’ll see a positive change in your hedgerow score, but your area habitat score will stay the same. This is because the BNG framework treats these types separately.

We understand this can be a bit confusing, but it’s the way the UK government has set up the system. It’s not something we can change! So, if you want to improve your area habitat score, you’ll need to focus on things like improving grasslands, woodlands, or other area habitats like trees.