Evaluation of cost-effectiveness of conservation buffer placement strategies in a river basin

Qiu, Zeyuan; Hall, C. M.; Hale, Kathy

doi:10.2489/jswc.64.5.293

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Kuglerová et al (2014) showed that the design of buffer zones can be made more effective if landscape hydrology is considered in the delineation. Hence, there are strong indications from the scientific community that buffer zones can be planned more effectively and need to be site specific and adapted to local conditions (Jansson et al 2007;Qiu et al 2009;Kreutzweiser et al 2012;Richardson et al 2012;Kuglerová et al 2014;Tiwari et al 2016;Kuglerová et al 2017). However, for this to be translated from theory into practice, easy-to-use planning tools based on scientifically established knowledge are required.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Topography and groundwater discharge sites can be used to locate areas with higher conservation values (Jansson et al 2007;Kuglerová et al 2014). Hence, variable buffer zone widths based on local conditions are more effective when trying to protect most of the important features of riparian forests (Blinn & Kilgore 2001;Qiu et al 2009). Recently, locally adapted buffer zones have also been shown to be a more cost-effective alternative compared to fixed width zones (Tiwari et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparing buffer zone alternatives in forest planning using a decision support system

Lundström

Öhman

Laudon

2018

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research

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Increased awareness of the connection between forest management activities and negative effects on water quality means that forestry needs to consider its potential impact on the aquatic environment when planning operations. Protective buffer zones are effective, but their design can vary. To be able to incorporate up-to-date scientific theory into practical applications easy-to-use planning tools are needed. In this study, we evaluate different buffer zone alternatives by using the freely available decision support system Heureka. The consequences on both economic and ecological values over a time period of 100 years were evaluated for two buffer zone approaches and three management alternatives within the buffer zones. Results indicated that there is a trade-off between economic and ecological values when managing the buffer zones. To be able to perform the analyses within Heureka, a new tool was developed. This software development provides access to a forest planning tool that can help improve nature conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing buffer zone alternatives in forest planning using a decision support system

Lundström

Öhman

Laudon

2018

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research

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“…Therefore, Blinn and Kilgore [], Vidon and Hill [], Qiu et al . [] and many others proposed a variable width buffer zone that accounts for the site‐specific conditions within the riparian zones based on the physical dimension, topography, and soil types.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost of riparian buffer zones: A comparison of hydrologically adapted site‐specific riparian buffers with traditional fixed widths

Tiwari

Lundström

Kuglerová

et al. 2016

Water Resources Research

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Traditional approaches aiming at protecting surface waters from the negative impacts of forestry often focus on retaining fixed width buffer zones around waterways. While this method is relatively simple to design and implement, it has been criticized for ignoring the spatial heterogeneity of biogeochemical processes and biodiversity in the riparian zone. Alternatively, a variable width buffer zone adapted to site-specific hydrological conditions has been suggested to improve the protection of biogeochemical and ecological functions of the riparian zone. However, little is known about the monetary value of maintaining hydrologically adapted buffer zones compared to the traditionally used fixed width ones. In this study, we created a hydrologically adapted buffer zone by identifying wet areas and groundwater discharge hotspots in the riparian zone. The opportunity cost of the hydrologically adapted riparian buffer zones was then compared to that of the fixed width zones in a meso-scale boreal catchment to determine the most economical option of designing riparian buffers. The results show that hydrologically adapted buffer zones were cheaper per hectare than the fixed width ones when comparing the total cost. This was because the hydrologically adapted buffers included more wetlands and low productive forest areas than the fixed widths. As such, the hydrologically adapted buffer zones allows more effective protection of the parts of the riparian zones that are ecologically and biogeochemically important and more sensitive to disturbances without forest landowners incurring any additional cost than fixed width buffers.

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“…1C and 2A). We will discuss the associated costs, which comprise (i) installation costs that have to be depreciated over the life time of the GWW (including interest rates), (ii) maintenance costs, and (iii) the opportunity cost for the land occupied by the GWW (Kling et aI., 2007;Qiu et a!., 2009;Chen and Barkdoll, 2013).…”

Section: The Agricultural Viewpointmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grassed Waterways

Fiener

Auerswald

2018

Agronomy Monographs

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Grassed waterways (GWWs) are a widely used best management practice (BMP) in countries with large-area farming. They are broad, shallow, grass-lined channels often located within large fields and have the primary function of draining surface runoff from farmland and preventing gullying along the natural drainage ways. They are rarely found in areas with relatively small fields, for example, in many European countries, where a single GWW would drain a number of fields. Presently, GWWs seem to attract much less attention as BMPs than grassed or vegetated filter strips at the downslope end of fields or along the surface of bodies of water, even though the benefits of GWWs are obvious. Studies clearly show that well-established GWWs effectively prevent gully erosion, reduce sediment and agrochemical delivery, and dampen peak discharge rates. The effects of GWWs on plant and faunal diverSity are insufficiently studied, and our knowledge of them is based mostly on analogies from grass strips or set-aside areas. Use of such analogies might be especially misleading with regard to the effects of GWWs on ecological connectivity within arable landscapes. From an agricultural viewpoint, the benefits of GWWs clearly seem to overcompensate for the main disadvantage: loss of land for cultivation. But arriving at general conclusions is difficult due to the huge variation in land prices and establishment costs. In economic terms, GWWs are thought to have a life span of ten years, a misjudgment that may be responsible for less relevance of GWWs since the 1970s. From political and societal viewpoints, outreach programs and financial incentives appear to be good investments. Apart from effectively preventing erosion damage (e.g., muddy floods), society would benefit from other ecological effects that are not included in the economic considerations of farmers. But scientific knowledge regarding the ecological and economic benefits and economic costs of GWWs is incomplete, impeding a holistic assessment of them. This is the case regarding the obviously intended effects on sediment delivery and discharge from agricultural land, because watershed-scale studies are rare and available modeling approaches therefore lack rigid testing.

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Evaluation of cost-effectiveness of conservation buffer placement strategies in a river basin

Cited by 11 publications

References 45 publications

Comparing buffer zone alternatives in forest planning using a decision support system

Comparing buffer zone alternatives in forest planning using a decision support system

Cost of riparian buffer zones: A comparison of hydrologically adapted site‐specific riparian buffers with traditional fixed widths

Grassed Waterways

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