Prioritizing agricultural lands for conservation buffer placement using multiple criteria

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2010

Abstract

Although conservation buffers are multifunctional, the current conservation buffer planning strategies tend to use a single criterion, most frequently a hydrological or soil condition indicator, to guide conservation buffer placement. This study presents a watershed planning approach that prioritizes agricultural lands for conservation buffers based on multiple selection criteria and applies the approach to Raritan Basin in central New Jersey. The multiple selection criteria include soil erodibility, hydrological sensitivity, wildlife habitat, and impervious surface rate. These criteria capture the conservation buffers' benefits in reducing soil erosion, controlling runoff generation, enhancing wildlife habitat, and mitigating stormwater impacts, respectively. An expert panel was used to identify and define the section criteria, review the measured values of those criteria, and develop the classification scales that assign the class score to each criterion. The prioritization is based on the summation of the criteria class scores. About one-third of agricultural lands are prioritized for conservation buffers in Raritan Basin. The total program cost of converting those prioritized agricultural lands to conservation buffers in Raritan Basin is estimated to be between $54.8 and 102.9 million depending on the composition of installed conservation buffer practices. © 2010 American Water Resources Association.

Identifier

77957047520 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Journal of the American Water Resources Association

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00466.x

e-ISSN

17521688

ISSN

1093474X

First Page

944

Last Page

956

Issue

5

Volume

46

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