Plant riparian buffer strips

Overall effectiveness category Awaiting assessment
Number of studies: 1
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Effectiveness

not assessed
Certainty

not assessed
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Background information and definitions

Riparian buffer strips are uncultivated strips of permanent vegetation at the edge of waterways. They may be used within agricultural, forestry and urban systems to help reduce bank erosion and prevent pollutants and sediment entering the waterway. These buffer strips can therefore help to protect aquatic and semi-aquatic species.

For other studies that investigated retaining riparian buffers see Threat: Biological resource use – Logging and wood harvesting – Retain riparian buffer strips during timber harvest and Habitat protection – Retain buffer zones around core habitat.

Study locations

Key messages

One study evaluated the effects of planting riparian buffer strips on reptile populations. The study was in the USA.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

POPULATION RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY)

Use (1 study): One replicated study in the USA found that grassed riparian buffer strips were used by up to five snake species.

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 replicated study in 2003 of waterways in crop fields in Iowa, USA (Knoot & Best 2011) found that over half of grassed riparian buffer strips were used by snakes. In total, 24 of 31 grassed riparian buffer strips were used by up to five snake species. Brown snakes Storeria dekayi (2.9 snakes/100 coverboards) and eastern garter snakes Thamnophis sirtalis (1.8 snakes/100 coverboards) were most abundant, followed by plains garter snake Thamnophis radix (0.8 snakes/100 coverboards), smooth green snakes Lioclonorophis vernalis (0.5 snakes/100 coverboards) and fox snakes Elaphe vulpine (0.4 snakes/100 coverboards). In May–August 2003, snakes were surveyed in 31 grassed waterways (>400 m apart) in crop fields (corn Zea mays and soybean Glycine max) that were established as part of the US government’s National Conservation Buffer Initiative. Surveys were carried out using wooden coverboards (0.9 x 0.9 m) placed along each waterway (4–5 coverboards/waterway, 150 total coverboards). Observers checked each waterway for snakes weekly (12 checks/waterway, 1,800 total coverboard surveys).
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Knoot T.G. & Best L.B. (2011) A multiscale approach to understanding snake use of conservation buffer strips in an agricultural landscape. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 6, 191-201.

Please cite as:

Sainsbury K.A., Morgan W.H., Watson M., Rotem G., Bouskila A., Smith R.K. & Sutherland W.J. (2021) Reptile Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions for reptiles. Conservation Evidence Series Synopsis. University of Cambridge, 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:

Reptile Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Plant riparian buffer strips Action Link	Awaiting assessment	1	Synopsis Link
Establish aquaculture facilities to extract the nutrients from agricultural run-off Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Reduce pesticide, herbicide or fertilizer use Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link