Table 2 Descriptions of the seven land class groups used (from30) in the current study, and a summary of the number of sites surveyed, the number of sites where hedgehogs were detected (naïve occupancy), the number of sites where badger setts were detected and relative badger sett density.
Land class | Subclass | Description | % area of England and Wales | No. (%) of sites surveyed | No. (%) of sites where hedgehogs were detected | No. (%) of sites where badger setts were detected | Mean ( ± SD) badger sett density |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arable | 1 | Open, gentle slopes, varied agriculture, often wooded or built-up | 9.6% | 33 (13%) | 4 (12.1%) | 28 (84.8%) | 3.36 ± 3.64 |
2 | Flat, arable and intensive agriculture, often cereals & grass mixtures | 31.7% | 106 (41%) | 28 (26.4%) | 60 (56.6%) | 1.52 ± 2.15 | |
3 | Lowlands with variable land use, mainly arable and intensive agriculture | 2.3% | 8 (3%) | 2 (25.0%) | 2 (25.0%) | 0.25 ± 0.46 | |
Pastoral | 4 | Undulating country, gently rolling enclosed country mainly fertile pastures. Some coastal areas mainly pasture with varied morphology and vegetation. | 21.0% | 58 (22%) | 7 (12.1%) | 43 (74.1%) | 3.02 ± 3.59 |
5 | Heterogeneous land-use, includes flat plains, valley bottoms and undulating lowlands with mixed agriculture including pastoral and arable | 17.8% | 37 (14%) | 10 (27.0%) | 24 (64.9%) | 1.57 ± 2.02 | |
Marginal upland | Rounded hills and slopes, wide range of vegetation types including moorland and improvable permanent pasture | 14.7% | 12 (5%) | 4 (33.3%) | 5 (41.7%) | 1.25 ± 1.90 | |
Upland | Mountainous, with moorlands, afforestation and bogs | 3.0% | 7 (3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (28.6%) | 0.43 ± 0.79 | |
