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

本项目将调查缓冲带不同植被对农业用地径流和污染损失的影响。农业用地的径流及其带来的污染继续造成洪水和水质问题。最近，包括2013年潮湿的冬季，对农田径流造成的洪水影响有很好的记录-例如，对萨默塞特水平的影响。我们的许多河流都经历了水质问题，这对淡水生物和水处理成本产生了影响。因此，在需要可持续地加强我们的农业的情况下，需要更好的控制。缓冲带继续在目前的农业环境政策修订中发挥作用，以帮助实现可持续农业。这些修订影响了以“绿化”选项和新农村管理计划（2016年1月开始）的一部分资金形式对农民的补贴。尽管继续列入缓冲区作为一个“全面”的农场控制方案，以打击扩散径流问题，造成洪水和污染，造成水质目标的失败，不同植被类型的成本和有效性的证据是有限的。因此，该项目将利用一个已建立的实验设施，测试缓冲区内的深根草、落叶林地和杨柳生物能源作物覆盖物，以减少径流和养分、沉积物和农药的损失。在一项为期五年的研究中，将对缓冲区进行测试，以减少草和玉米的径流和水污染。为了扩展到实验场地之外，将扩大关于不同植被覆盖的成本和有效性的新数据，以研究英格兰和威尔士的潜在经济效益。清楚地了解成本和效益对于产业界参与研究成果和鼓励在实地向农民提供经过测试的措施十分重要。将通过向利益攸关方团体展示地块，加强与工业界的接触。该项目团队带来了缓冲区研究的良好记录和与利益相关者网络的良好联系，包括草，林地和杨柳行业以及与正在进行的研究平台有关的那些平台，如Defra示范试验集水区（DTC）和可持续集约化平台（SIP）计划，以及BBSRC资助的北怀克农场平台国家能力。

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.