Designing the buffer zone of a nature reserve: a case study in Yancheng Biosphere Reserve, China Original Research Article

The problems existing in design of buffer zones are analyzed, and a procedure for designing the buffer zone of reserves is proposed. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is applied to design the width of buffer zone. The different importance of influences in different sections around the reserve leads to different widths of buffer zone being designated around the reserve. The method is illustrated by a case study, designing the buffer zone for the Yancheng Biosphere Reserve, China.