Maintain/create buffer zones

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

50%
Certainty

10%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Buffers can be created to exclude undesirable outside influences from forest sections.

Study locations

Key messages

One site comparison study in Australia found that a forest edge protected by a planted buffer strip had higher canopy cover and lower stem density, but similar understory species richness to an unbuffered forest edge.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A site comparison in 2008 in two remnants of complex mesophyll vine forests in North Queensland, Australia (Sonter, Metcalfe & Mayfield 2011) found that a forest edge protected by a planted buffer strip had higher canopy cover and lower stem density, but similar understory species richness to a forest edge with no buffer. Canopy cover in the buffered forest edge (approx. 90%) was higher than that along the edge with no planted buffer (approx. 75%). Similarly, stem density along the buffered edge (approx. 4 trees/m²) was lower than along the unbuffered edge (approx. 14 trees/m²). However, there was no difference in species richness of the understory between the buffered (approx. 1.3 species/m²) and unbuffered edge (approx. 2.4 species/m²). The 30 m wide buffer had been planted 14 years earlier and consisted of 80 different plant species planted 1.8 m apart. The surrounding area consisted of pastures and maintained lawns. The vegetation at each forest edge was sampled using ten 40 m transects, perpendicular to the buffer and the unbuffered forest edge respectively. Each transect contained ten quadrats (1 × 1 m).

Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Sonter L., Metcalfe D. & Mayfield M. (2011) Assessing rainforest restoration: the value of buffer strips for the recovery of rainforest remnants in Australia's Wet Tropics. Pacific Conservation Biology, 16, 274-288.

Please cite as:

Agra, H., Schowanek, S., Carmel, Y., Smith, R.K. & Ne’eman, G. (2020) Forest Conservation. Pages 323-366 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Forest Conservation

Related Actions

	Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
	Remove nitrogen and phosphorus using harvested products Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
	Maintain/create buffer zones Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	1	Synopsis Link