Editing Buffer zone (section)

=== Water quality improvement ===
The [[water quality|quality of surface water]] in many countries is getting worse due to the misuse of land.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Carpenter |first1=S. R .|last2=Caraco |first2=N. F. |last3=Correll |first3=D. L. |last4=Howarth |first4=R. W. |last5=Sharpley |first5=A. N. |last6=Smith |first6=V. H. |date=August 1998 |title=Nonpoint Pollution of Surface Waters with Phosphorus and Nitrogen |journal=Ecological Applications |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=559 |doi=10.2307/2641247 |issn=1051-0761 |jstor=2641247|hdl=1813/60811|url=https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/60811/1/Carpenter_et_al-1998-Ecological_Applications.pdf|hdl-access=free |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430115726/https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/60811/Carpenter_et_al-1998-Ecological_Applications.pdf;jsessionid=B77DD75C0F5E3E89EBA0E83C53B16AA2?sequence=1 |archive-date=2019-04-30 |url-status=live }}</ref> Although the buffer zone occupies a small area, it greatly improves the quality of water in the agricultural [[wikt:drainage basin|watershed]] due to its filtering effect on nutrients in the underground water and surface water.

Because farmland is sprayed with large amounts of pesticides, some of which can seep into surface water, fish and other aquatic life can be negatively affected, which in turn can lead to environmental damage. Vegetation buffer has been proved to be an effective filter for sediment, especially for sediment-bound pesticides.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Syversen|first1=Nina|last2=Bechmann|first2=Marianne|date=May 2004|title=Vegetative buffer zones as pesticide filters for simulated surface runoff|journal=Ecological Engineering|volume=22|issue=3|pages=175–184|doi=10.1016/j.ecoleng.2004.05.002|bibcode=2004EcEng..22..175S |issn=0925-8574}}</ref> When pesticides are sprayed in excess, a vegetation buffer can be built to reduce the penetration of pesticides into surface water. The buffer zone also prevents heavy metals or toxins from spreading to [[protected area]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Deroanne-Bauvin|first1=J|last2=Delcarte|first2=E|last3=Impens|first3=R|date=January 1987|title=Monitoring of lead deposition near highway: A ten years study|journal=Science of the Total Environment|volume=59|pages=257–266|doi=10.1016/0048-9697(87)90447-5|bibcode=1987ScTEn..59..257D|issn=0048-9697}}</ref>