ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the terrestrial biota it is abundantly clear that marine species have been seriously affected by increased commercial exploitation. Many trackways are lined by ancient hedges, which can be dated approximately using regression estimates of the invasion rates of woody species calibrated by documentary evidence. Since the Middle Ages, there has been a steady addition of alien species to the flora and fauna of the British Isles - especially so with the growth of international trade and the collection of exotic species in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The fragmentation of habitats and the reduction in the size of breeding populations are also serious matters which may affect the long-term chances of a species’ survival. The decline of coppice-woodland management is thought to be particularly responsible for the range decline of a number of butterfly species. R. T. T. Forman and J. Baudry suggest that hedgerows act as: a habitat for certain species, particularly edge species.
