Riparian Buffer Systems in Crop and Rangelands

Riparian ecosystems occupy a narrow belt of land along streams and around lakes and wetlands and are characterized by plant and animal communities that are dependent on close proximity to water. These ecotones function as buffer zones for materials moving from the uplands toward the surface water. They control stream morphology and ecology and also maintain landscape biodiversity by providing diverse habitats and corridors for animals and plants. Most of the riparian zones in the Midwestern agroecosystems and arid and semiarid western rangelands have been extensively impacted by agricultural cropping and grazing activities. These impacts have generally decreased water quality, impaired riparian and instream biodiversity, increased water quantity, and modified the timing of streamflow. Riparian zones are generally resilient because of their moist, moderate and fertile environments. With proper management, this resiliency can be sustained. Proper management should include construction or restoration of multi-species buffer strips and deferred or rotational grazing or exclusion of livestock. Several riparian zone restoration and management strategies are discussed