A field stretching to the horizon, with no trees or hedges to break the skyline, is becoming increasingly common in the French countryside. According to a report by the Conseil général de l'alimentation, de l'agriculture et des espaces ruraux (CGAAER), a part of the Ministry of Agriculture, 70% of the hedges that once lined the rural landscape have disappeared since 1950. This amounts to about 1.4 million kilometers of hedges removed — enough to stretch around the Earth 35 times. These hedges, once a natural part of the landscape, played a crucial role in slowing down rainwater, allowing it to seep into the soil rather than running off quickly. Without them, the soil dries out more rapidly, altering the natural water cycle. The removal of hedges has accelerated in recent years. Between 2006 and 2014, about 10,400 kilometers of hedges were removed annually, but this number jumped to 23,571 kilometers per year between 2017 and 2021. While programs like "Plantons des haies" have aimed to replant about 3,000 kilometers of hedges yearly, these efforts have not kept pace with the rate of removal. The countryside, once a natural "sponge" that absorbed and retained water, has been gradually dismantled, with significant consequences for the environment and water management. This transformation began after World War II, when agricultural land was consolidated to accommodate modern farming techniques like tractors. Between 1946 and 2006, nearly 18 million hectares of land were merged, leading to the removal of 750,000 kilometers of hedges. In Brittany, a region historically known for its hedges, 280,000 kilometers of hedges and slopes were removed between 1950 and 1985 — seven times the Earth’s circumference. This shift was driven by economic needs at the time, but the long-term impact on water infiltration and soil retention was not fully understood. Today, the absence of hedges has made the landscape more vulnerable to drought. In areas where hedges have been removed, water runs off quickly, leaving the soil dry and unable to recharge underground water sources. In contrast, regions with remaining hedges still allow water to infiltrate and be stored underground. Despite recent efforts to replant hedges, the rate of removal continues to outpace these initiatives. Environmental groups warn that unless this trend is reversed, the damage to the water cycle will continue to worsen, especially as droughts become more frequent.