Project funded
by theEU–DGEnvironment
L
and
surfacerelevant
forapplication
Artificial surface
Agriculture land
Forest and semi-natural areas
Wetlands
F
inancialcosts
(C
apital
,
operation
&
maintenance
)
Literature provides references in buffer strips establishment costs ranging between
€400 and 800/ha, and €4.73 and 5.08/m for planting hedges. Maintaining a 3m
wide buffer strip costs between €75 and 100/ha while management of hedgerows
costs about €64/100m. Loss of revenue is estimated at €140/ha/year. Payment
rates will typically be determined by the regulations concerning Rural Development
Programmes.
D
esign
There are a
variety
of buffer strip types, the dimensions of which differ according
to location, vegetation type and
requirements
across member states (from 0.6
to 20m). The effectiveness of the buffer strip to have significant impacts will
depend on the width of the strip, the
slope
and the type of
soil
. The adjacent
land-use (arable or pasture) impacts on the effectiveness of buffer strips. Beetle
banks usually measure between 2 and 4m.
S
cale
Buffer strips and hedges operate at the
field/farm scale.
Buffer strips are areas of
natural vegetation cover
(grass, bushes or trees) at the margin of fields, on arable land, proximate to transport infrastructure and
water courses, on headlands or within fields (e.g. beetle banks). Buffer strips and hedges offer good conditions for effective water
infiltration
and
slowing
surface flow
; they therefore promote the natural retention of water. They can also significantly reduce the amount of suspended solids, nitrates and phosphates
originating from agricultural run-off.
Casestudies:FieldMargins inHeilbronn,Gremany;FloodbreakingHedgerows inSouthernFrance
AGRICULTURE
©
S
R
U
C
