Buffer or buffer zone definition
Buffer or buffer zone means an area contiguous to and that protects a critical area that is required for the continued maintenance, functioning, and/or structural stability of a critical area.
Buffer or buffer zone means the area contiguous with a critical area that maintains the functions and/or structural stability of the critical area.
Buffer or buffer zone means the zone contiguous with a sensitive area that is required for the continued maintenance, function, and structural stability of the sensitive area. The critical functions of a riparian buffer (those associated with an aquatic system) include shading, input of organic debris and coarse sediments, uptake of nutrients, stabilization of banks, interception of line sediments, overflow during high water events, protection from disturbance by humans and domestic animals, maintenance of wildlife habitat, and room for variation of aquatic system boundaries over time due to hydrologic or climatic effects. The critical functions of terrestrial buffers include protection of slope stability, attenuation of surface water flows from stormwater runoff and precipitation, and erosion control.