Abstract England's traditional orchards are important habitats for a range of invertebrate species, providing biodiverse habitat for many species not found in other landscapes. Increased loss of these once common landscape features, exacerbated by changing land use, anthropogenic habitat fragmentation, and the loss of traditional or customary practices, means that there are becoming increasing precarious habitats. We focus on the Noble Chafer ( Gnorimus nobilis ) as a species that shows a precarity of habitat that rests on complimentary landscape management choices. We use this charismatic invertebrate as a bioindicator to explore the direct impact of changes to England's orchard landscapes on biodiversity. Interviewing 30 key stakeholders involved in the management and preservation of traditional orchards, we examine the competing motivations, practices and understanding of habitat that inform their practices in maintaining traditional orchards. Human action lies at the heart of how orchard habitats were established in the past, and how they remain and are maintained in the present. However, competing approaches to orchard management and maintenance, albeit with the best intentions, challenge the maintenance of a continuity of habitat for Noble Chafer. We argue that to achieve a balance between competing landscape needs there needs to be more education and importantly a reframing of orchard practices, to raise awareness of the Noble Chafer and its habitat. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Jenkins et al. (Wed,) studied this question.