What term refers to a strip of land with natural or established vegetation that provides protection to the natural forest including mangrove forest?

• A. Hot Zone
• B. Cold Zone
• C. Buffer Zone
• D. Warm

Answer: (C)

Buffer zone is a strip of land with natural or established vegetation that provides protection to the natural forest, including mangrove forest. This protective belt acts as a shield against external disturbances by filtering runoff and sediments, reducing erosion, and limiting human disturbance from adjacent lands. In coastal systems, the vegetation slows wave energy and stabilizes shorelines, helping to preserve the mangroves and the surrounding forest ecosystem. It also creates habitat corridors and supports biodiversity, making the core forest more resilient. The other terms don’t denote this protective, vegetated strip around a forest area, so they don’t fit the concept described.