LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR THE CONTROL OF DIFFUSE POLLUTION

The control of diffuse pollution is one of the major issues affecting the agricultural landscape. Policies of land use management are now be ing implemented as a means of improving water quality. The potential s uccess of such policies is difficult to determine owing to the complex nature of the processes controlling the transport of diffuse pollutan ts such as nitrate, phosphorus and sediment. The use of buffer zones a longside water bodies in the agricultural landscape may offer a greate r opportunity both for protecting the water and for increasing the hab itat and amenity value of the landscape. The potential value of buffer zones in terms of water quality is dependent on landscape type and su itable design. The design of these features needs to consider the hydr ology of both the buffer zone and of the landscape as a whole. In land scapes where the hydrology has been altered, additional measures may b e required to establish suitable hydrological conditions. The implemen tation of a strategy of diffuse pollution control therefore needs to b e approached on a landscape basis taking into account the nature of po llutant pathways and areas of high pollution risk.