You are here:
RESEARCH NEEDS IN RIPARIAN BUFFER RESTORATION
Citation:
Jorgensen, E., T. J. Canfield, AND P. M. Mayer. RESEARCH NEEDS IN RIPARIAN BUFFER RESTORATION. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/S-02/002, 2002.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
Riparian buffer restorations are used as management tools to produce favorable water quality impacts; moreover, the basis for riparian buffers as an instrument of water quality restoration rests on a relatively firm foundation. However, the extent to which buffers can restore riparian ecosystems, their functionality and species composition, are essentially unknown. In light of the foregoing, two broad areas of research are indicated. First, data are needed to document the relative effectiveness of riparian buffers that differ according to width, length, and plant species composition. These questions, of managing buffer dimension and species composition for functionality, are of central importance even when attenuation of nutrient and sediment loads alone are considered. Second, where ecosystem restoration is the goal, effects to in-stream and terrestrial riparian biota need to be considered. Relatedly, the effects of the restoration on the landscape need to be considered. Particularly, at what rate do the effects of the riparian buffer on in-stream water quality, biota, and habitat diminish downstream from restored sites? Answers to these important questions are needed to further the advance of riparian restoration from art form to science and to maximize the societal value of future restorations.