Landowner willingness to implement riparian buffers in a transitioning watershed

Abstract

The Chesapeake Bay watershed of the northeastern U.S. has experienced extensive transition from agricultural to residential land uses. However, riparian buffer implementation research has generally focused on agricultural land uses and participation in agricultural conservation programs. Our research examines landowner willingness to implement riparian buffers in the Spring Creek watershed of central Pennsylvania, a sub-watershed of the Chesapeake Bay basin, which has also undergone population growth and land use transition. We conducted a mail survey of riparian residential, small agricultural, and agricultural landowners (n=175) to assess attitudes toward buffer implementation. Our results indicated that residential riparian respondents were 94% less willing than agricultural riparian respondents to implement a buffer on their property, net of other factors. Neighborhood friendships positively predicted willingness to implement buffers and also increased implementation willingness under certain incentive scenarios. Our findings indicate that landowners will become more willing to implement riparian buffers if they believe these buffers will have positive outcomes. Knowledge of Chesapeake Bay water quality, a central cause for riparian conservation programs, did not predict implementation willingness. As landscapes continue to transition toward residential uses, it is imperative that conservation programs adapt buffer design and program incentives to meet riparian residential landowner normative and aesthetic preferences.