Editing Buffer zone

{{about|buffer zones in general|use relating to abortion|Legal protection of access to abortion|the Karachi neighbourhood|Buffer Zone, Karachi}}
{{Short description|Intermediate region, typically between belligerent entities}}
[[File:Cyprus BufferZoneInBlue.png|right|thumb|Map of the [[Cyprus Buffer Zone|current buffer zone in Cyprus]], between the Greek [[Cyprus|Republic of Cyprus]] in the south and the [[Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]] in the north.]]
[[File:Заграждение, КСП и ДОТ на белорусско-польской границе 01.jpg|right|thumb|Modern buffer zone on the Belarus-Poland border in [[Brest, Belarus|Brest]] with a [[Security alarm#Security electric fence|security electric fence]], a ploughed trace-control strip to show signs of passage, and a [[Pillbox (military)|pillbox]].]]
A '''buffer zone''', also historically known as a '''[[March (territory)|march]]''', is a neutral area that lies between two or more bodies of land; usually, between [[country|countries]]. Depending on the type of buffer zone, it may serve to separate regions or conjoin them.
Common types of buffer zones are [[demilitarized zone]]s, [[border zone]]s and certain restrictive easement zones and [[Green Belt|green belts]]. Such zones may be comprised by a sovereign state, forming a [[buffer state]].

Buffer zones have various purposes, politically or otherwise. They can be set up for a multitude of reasons, such as to prevent violence, protect the environment, shield residential and commercial zones from industrial accidents or natural disasters, or even isolate prisons. Buffer zones often result in large uninhabited regions that are themselves noteworthy in many increasingly developed or crowded parts of the world that unintentionally create a de facto [[Nature reserve|wildlife sanctuary]].{{examples|date=October 2013}}

== Conservation ==
[[File:Lake Hiawatha shoreline restoration sign.jpg|thumb|Sign marking the buffer zone of a habitat restoration project at [[Lake Hiawatha]] in Minneapolis, Minnesota.]]
For use in [[nature conservation]], a buffer zone is often created to enhance the protection of areas under management for their [[biodiversity]] importance. The buffer zone of a [[protected area]] may be situated around the periphery of the region or may be a connecting zone within it that links two or more protected areas, therefore increasing their dynamics and conservation productivity. A buffer zone can also be one of the [[IUCN Protected Area Management Categories|protected area categories]] (e.g. category V or VI of IUCN Protected Area) or a classification scheme (e.g. NATURA 2000) depending on the conservation objective.<ref>[http://www.biodiversitya-z.org/areas/10/ A–Z of Areas of Biodiversity Importance: Buffer Zones]</ref> The term 'buffer zone' initially gained prominence in the conservation of natural and cultural heritage through its usage in the establishment of [[UNESCO]]'s World Heritage Convention, and the term was intended to be used as follows:

{{cquote|A buffer zone serves to provide an additional layer of protection to a [[World Heritage Site|World Heritage property]]. The concept of a buffer zone was first included in the ''Operational Guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention'' in 1977. In the most current version of the ''Operational Guidelines'' of 2005 the inclusion of a buffer zone into a nomination of a site to the World Heritage List is strongly recommended but not mandatory.|cquote}}
—[[World Heritage Convention]]<ref>{{cite web
|url= https://whc.unesco.org/en/events/473/
|title= International Expert meeting on World Heritage and buffer zones
|access-date= 24 Nov 2010
|publisher= [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Convention]]
|quote= Background and contents
}}</ref>

The buffer zone is one of the [[Best management practice for water pollution|Best Management Practices]] (BMPs). A buffer zone is intended to avert the effect of negative environmental or human influences, whether or not it embodies natural or cultural value itself.<ref>Martin, Oliver, and Piatti, Giovanna (ed.) ''World Heritage and Buffer Zones'', International Expert Meeting on World Heritage and Buffer Zones Davos, Switzerland 11 – 14 March 2008 (Paris: UNESCO, 2009)</ref> The importance and function of a buffer zone and the necessary protective measures derived thereof is a relatively new concept in conservation science and can differ greatly for each site.<ref>Ebregt, Arthur and de Greve, Pol, ''Buffer Zones and their Management: Policy and Best Practices for Terrestrial Ecosystems in Developing Countries'' (Wageningen: Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2000)</ref>

== Ecological functions of conservation ==

=== 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>

=== Riverbank stabilization ===
When riverbanks are low due to plant roots entering the interior of the riverbank vertically, the sediment of riverbank is affected by the action of said plant roots, and the ability to resist erosion is higher than that without plant roots. But when the riverbanks are higher, the roots of the plants do not penetrate deeply into the soil, and the lakeshore soil is not very strong. Herbaceous plants can play a role to some extent, but in the long term, vegetation buffer zone can effectively solve the problem of water level rise and water erosion.

The adsorption capacity of a buffer zone can reduce the speed of [[surface runoff]] and increase the effective water content of soil. Through increasing [[soil organic matter]] content and improving soil structure, a buffer zone can have a positive effect on soil water storage performance. In addition, plant roots make the soil stronger, withstand waves and rainstorm, mitigate the erosion of riverbanks by [[flood]]s, and effectively control the erosion of the beach.

=== Wildlife food and habitat ===
[[File:Riparian buffer on Bear Creek in Story County, Iowa.JPG|thumb|upright|A riparian buffer in Story County, Iowa, protecting a creek]]

[[Riparian buffer]] zones have been used in many areas to protect the habitats of many animals which are being devastated by increased human activity. The areas around the buffer zone can form the habitat of many animals, and plants can become food for small [[aquatic animal]]s. The buffer zone itself can also support the life activities of various [[amphibian]]s and [[bird]]s. Plants and animals can [[migration (ecology)|migrate]] or spread in response to these buffer zones, thus increasing the [[biodiversity]] in the area.

A 1998 study shows that the species and number of animals and plants in riparian zones are higher than in other ecosystems.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sturtevant|first=Brian R |date=October 1998 |title=A model of wetland vegetation dynamics in simulated beaver impoundments |journal=Ecological Modelling |volume=112 |issue=2–3 |pages=195–225 |doi=10.1016/s0304-3800(98)00079-9 |bibcode=1998EcMod.112..195S |issn=0304-3800}}</ref> Because of their ability to provide abundant water, soft soil and stable climate, small animals such as ''[[Mouse-eared bat|Myotis]]'' and ''[[Marten|Martes]]'' prefer to live along riverbanks rather than in hilly areas.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Doyle |first=A. T. |date=1990-02-20 |title=Use of Riparian and Upland Habitats by Small Mammals |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=71 |issue=1 |pages=14–23 |doi=10.2307/1381312 |issn=1545-1542 |jstor=1381312}}</ref> The buffer zone can also provide a good environment for upland habitat, which is in line with the living conditions of freshwater [[turtle]]s, making them more dependent on the wetland environment.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Burke |first1=Vincent J. |last2=Gibbons |first2=J. Whitfield |date=December 1995|title=Terrestrial Buffer Zones and Wetland Conservation: A Case Study of Freshwater Turtles in a Carolina Bay|journal=Conservation Biology |volume=9 |issue=6 |pages=1365–1369 |doi=10.1046/j.1523-1739.1995.09061365.x |bibcode=1995ConBi...9.1365B |issn=0888-8892}}</ref> The protection level of the buffer zones will affect the habitat range of amphibians and [[reptile]]s, and the environmental management of the wetland habitat around buffer zone is extremely important.

=== Providing aesthetic value ===
Vegetation buffer zones form a variety of [[landscape]]s as an important part of the riparian zone. Combining land and water improves the aesthetic value of river basin landscapes. The riparian buffer is rich in plant resources, and the wetland, grassland, and forest ecosystems make the landscape more beautiful. In addition, some recreational facilities can be built in the buffer zone to provide better living conditions for residents or tourists and improve people's quality of life.

In the buffer zone, trees up to 6 meters tall greatly enhance the aesthetic value of the landscape.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Borin |first1=Maurizio |last2=Passoni |first2=Matteo |last3=Thiene |first3=Mara |last4=Tempesta |first4=Tiziano |date=January 2010 |title=Multiple functions of buffer strips in farming areas |journal=European Journal of Agronomy |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=103–111 |doi=10.1016/j.eja.2009.05.003 |bibcode=2010EuJAg..32..103B |issn=1161-0301}}</ref> These tall trees have luxuriant branches and leaves, especially their upright posture, making them of higher ornamental value. Some colorful landscape tree species can be planted on both sides of rivers with tourism and sightseeing value to improve the aesthetic value of the place. Establishing vegetation in the buffer zone can increase green land, improve [[forest cover]]age, beautify the environment and visual effect, improve people's living environment, enrich the humanistic landscape, and enhance aesthetic value. By emphasizing the importance of the buffer zone, residents can be encouraged to participate in the protection and management of the buffer zone, and checkpoints around the buffer zone can be set up to make it more secure and effective.

==See also==
* [[Buffer state]]
* [[Buffer strip]]
* [[Demilitarized zone]] (DMZ)
* [[European Green Belt]]
* [[March (territory)|March]]
* [[Seam Zone]]
* [[Shatter belt (geopolitics)]]
* [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus]]
*[[Attacks on Protected Zones and Civilians in Gaza]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links==
*{{cite web
 |url         = https://www.theidioms.com/buffer-zone/
 |title       = Buffer Zone
 |access-date  = 28 Sep 2020
 |date        = November 28–29, 2006
 |work        = Theidioms.com
 |publisher   = The Idioms Dictionary
}}
*{{cite web
|url= https://whc.unesco.org/documents/publi_wh_papers_25.pdf
|title= World Heritage and Buffer Zones Patrimoine mondial et zones tampons
|access-date= 24 Nov 2010
|format= PDF/Adobe Acrobat 3.76 MB
|work= International Expert Meeting on World Heritage and Buffer Zones, Davos, Switzerland 11–14 March 2008
|publisher= World Heritage Centre
|quote= Buffer zones are an important tool for conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. All along the history of implementation of the World Heritage Convention, the protection of the “surroundings” of the inscribed properties was considered an essential component of the conservation strategy, for cultural and natural sites alike.
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090520173139/https://whc.unesco.org/documents/publi_wh_papers_25.pdf
|archive-date= 20 May 2009
|url-status= live
}}

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[[Category:Political terminology]]
[[Category:Environmental conservation]]
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