Editing Bocage (section)

===Ireland===

Almost all of lowland Ireland is characterised by bocage landscape, a consequence of pastoral farming which requires enclosure for the management of herds. Approximately 5% of Ireland's land area is devoted to hedges, field walls and [[shelterbelt]]s. In the more fertile areas these usually consist of earthen banks, which are planted with or colonised by trees and shrubs; this vegetation can give the impression of a wooded landscape, even where there is little or no woodland. This pattern of hedgerows was largely established in the late 18th and 19th centuries, a period when Ireland was virtually devoid of natural woodland. Modern intensive agriculture has tended to increase field size by removing hedgerows, a trend which for years was promoted by the [[Common Agricultural Policy]] of the [[European Union]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=McKie|first=Robin|last2=editor|first2=science|date=2012-05-26|title=How EU farming policies led to a collapse in Europe's bird population|language=en-GB|work=The Observer|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/may/26/eu-farming-policies-bird-population|access-date=2020-07-25|issn=0029-7712}}</ref> and recently has been countered by the European Union's agricultural policies favouring the conservation of wildlife habitats.