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This paper reviewed the evolving concepts of buffer zones around protected areas. Unlike the strictly protected core zones which they surround, buffer zones have both conservation and socio-economic functions and are thus of interest to a number of stakeholder groups - local communities, the biodiversity lobby, government departments and development agencies - who need to compromise and co-ordinate their objectives and skills for best management. The authors recommended that buffer zones be inside the boundary of the protected area, for tenurial reasons, or possibly a composite zone on both sides, reflecting existing gradients of use. An analysis of forest productivity and local wood consumption suggested that buffer zones would need careful management if they were to relieve pressure on core zones.