Plants and animals in streams are affected by human activities in the surrounding landscape. In a video produced by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Brendan McKie talks about the results from the research project Crosslink, which investigated the value of woody “buffers” in the riparian zone, i.e. bands of forest vegetation planted alongside stream channels that might help buffer impacts from surround agricultural and urban land uses.
Crosslink focused on woody riparian buffers as a management tool for mitigating human impacts, protecting biodiversity, and enhancing ecosystem function and services. Crosslink is an international project, with field sampling conducted out in four European countries.
In the video below, Brendan McKie, senior lecturer at the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, talks about the results from Crosslink, standing beside Hågaån in Uppsala, which is one of the Swedish streams sampled. The film also features partners from the county administrative board and Fyrisåns vattenförbund.