Full document / COSOC-W-86-002 - the National Sea Grant Library

Estuarine andCoastal Management Tools of the Abstract only
Trade. Proceedingsof IheTenth NationalConference
of TheCoastalSociety. October12-15,1986. New
Orleans. LA. Copyright by TheCoastalSociety
1987.
BUFFER ZONES IN WETLAND
MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
Joseph K. Shisler, Patricia E. Waidelich, and Hilary G. Russell
Mosquito Research andControl
Rutgers University
CookCollege
New Brunswick, NJ0S903
Robert B.Piel
Divisionof Coastal Resources
Oepaiuueui of Environrnental Protection
Trenton. NJ 03625
The coastal zone features a diversity of wetland types of varying size, type and
importance; from large forested fresh water wetlands tonarrow strips of salt marsh. Development
can adversely affect adjacentwetlands through increasedrunoff, sedimentation and the introduction
of chemicaland thermalpollutants. Buffer zones arestripsof vegetatedland,composed in many
cases of natural ecotonal and upland plant communities which separate development from
environmentally sensitive areas and lessen these adverse impacts of human disturbance. In
addition,buffer zones provideerosioncontroland flood protection forresidentialareas.
The definition of buffer widths appropriate to provide adequate protection to wetlands
under different development situations has long been a point of contention. On-site soil
characteristics, vegetation cover, topography, climate, and land use patterns, and
human/wildlife/plantpopulation densities all determine the extent of development impacts and,
consequendy, the appropriatebuffer width. Many states have set a minimum allowable wetlands
buffer width and increasethe distancedependingon the intensity and type of land use. Widths
ranging from 0 to 1000 feet have been variously set with andwithout data support. If the
establishment ofeffecdve buffer zones is to be incorporated into management policies, then there
hasto be supportingdata. Additionalstudies areneeded to define the criteriaaffecting effecdve
buffer width.
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