Phosphorus retention and bank erosion was investigated in two types of buffer zones in cereal fields in Norway: zones used for grass production and zones with natural vegetation. Farmers’ views on the two types of buffer zones were collected through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Our results indicate that the grassed buffer zones had higher levels of plant-available phosphorus and lower infiltration rates than the natural ones. Bank erosion was higher in zones with grass production than those with trees. Interviews with farmers revealed diverging opinions on the zones. Most farmers were sceptical to natural vegetation with trees, whereas farmers who had already planted trees in the riparian zones were generally satisfied. Buffer zones can have many different functions, and we conclude that a holistic approach is needed when assessing the usefulness of this measure, taking into account water quality, biodiversity and the production of food, fodder and biomass.

在挪威谷物田的两种缓冲带中研究了磷的保留和堤岸侵蚀：用于牧草的区域和具有天然植被的区域。通过问卷调查和深入访谈收集了农民对这两种缓冲区的看法。我们的结果表明，与自然环境相比，带草的缓冲区具有较高的植物有效磷水平和较低的入渗率。有草的地区河岸侵蚀比有树木的地区高。对农民的采访显示出对这些地区的意见分歧。大多数农民对树木的自然植被表示怀疑，而对已经在河岸地区种树的农民普遍感到满意。缓冲区可以具有许多不同的功能，