ORCHARD BIODIVERSITY
The Importance of Orchards
Traditional orchards are a much-loved part of our British heritage and countryside, providing local communities with delicious fruit and peaceful places to enjoy. They also provide food and shelter for hundreds of rare plants, lichens, small mammals and invertebrates, including the rare noble chafer beetle, which relies on the decaying wood of old fruit trees.
In 2007, traditional orchards were designated as a priority habitat in the UK Biodiversity Plan because of the wildlife they support.
These orchards, often many years old, are made up of a unique combination of fruit trees, scrub, hedgerows, hedgerow trees, fallen deadwood and other features, such as ponds. This important habitat is becoming rare as we rely increasingly on imports to provide cheap fruit throughout the year. This has left traditional orchards, an intrinsic feature of the English countryside, at risk from neglect, intensification of agriculture, and pressure from land development.
Since 1950 Natural England estimates that overall orchard area in England has declined by 63%.
