What is a Riparian Buffer? The Basics.
Riparian buffers are strips of vegetation (trees, shrubs or grass) planted next to streams or other waterbodies. By planting vegetation along streams, space is created between the water and upland land uses, which helps protect the water quality and stream habitat.
A Scientific Foundation for Shaping Riparian Buffer Protection Regulations
Scientific research has strongly established the harm to water quality, the increased flooding and the damage to the ecosystem that results from failure to protect riparian buffers. This guide identifies the key scientifically grounded principles that municipalities should follow when developing riparian buffer protection regulations.
Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways
The Conservation Buffers website offers resources for planning and designing buffers in rural and urban landscapes. The primary resource is Conservation Buffers: Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways which provides over 80 illustrated design guidelines synthesized and developed from a review of over 1400 research publications.
Stream Buffer Workshop Material
View slides and videos from a November 2019 stream buffer workshop by the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Tompkins County. The workshop provided provide municipal officials, board members, conservationists, and others interested in protecting streams and wetlands with tools that improve water quality, and reduce flooding and property loss in a changing climate.