Impacts of different vegetation in riparian buffer strips on hydrology and water quality

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This project will investigate the impacts of different vegetation in buffer strips on runoff and pollution loss from agricultural land. Runoff from agricultural land and the pollution it carries continue to cause problems for flooding and water quality. The impacts of flooding arising from runoff from farmed land have been well documented in recent times, including during the wet winter of 2013 - e.g. on the Somerset Levels. Many of our rivers experience water quality problems which have implications for freshwater biology and water treatment costs. Better controls are therefore required in the context of the need for sustainable intensification of our farming. Buffer strips continue to feature in current revisions to agri-environment policy for helping deliver sustainable farming. These revisions affect subsidies for farmers in the form of 'greening' options and funding as part of the new Countryside Stewardship scheme (which commences in January 2016). Despite the continued inclusion of buffers as a 'catch-all' on-farm control option to combat diffuse runoff problems contributing to flooding and, pollution contributing to failure of water quality targets, evidence on the costs and effectiveness of different vegetation types is limited. This project will therefore use an established experimental facility to test deep-rooting grass, deciduous woodland and willow bioenergy crop covers in buffers for reducing runoff and losses of nutrients, sediment and pesticides. The buffers will be tested for reducing runoff and water pollution from grass and maize during a five year study. To expand beyond the experimental site, the new data on the costs and effectiveness of the different vegetation covers will be scaled up to examine potential economic benefits across England and Wales. A clear understanding of costs and benefits is important for industry to engage with research outputs and to encourage on-the-ground delivery of tested measures for farmers. Engagement with industry will be enhanced through demonstration of the plots to stakeholder groups. The project team brings a strong track record of buffer research and well-developed links to stakeholder networks including the grass, woodland and willow industries and those associated with on-going research platforms such as the Defra Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC) and Sustainable Intensification Platform (SIP) programmes, as well as the BBSRC funded North Wyke Farm Platform national capability.