Guilty or scapegoat? Land consolidation and hedgerow decline
研究法国下诺曼底地区土地整理对树篱网络的长期影响，发现土地整理导致树篱密度显著下降，但责任比例低于普遍认知。
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.