While the use of ecological buffers is widely advocated in the protection of urban aquatic ecosystems (Castelle et al., 1992; Large and Petts, 1994; Wade et al., 1998; Armstrong, 2005), the spatial implications of buffer allocation should not be underestimated, and clear delineation of buffer areas on urban land-use plans should be encouraged in order to ensure that expectations of development opportunities are realistic, if they are to take place within a framework of sustainable aquatic ecosystem protection and/or management.