A new "landscape budget method" has been added for this credit through the November 2010 LEED addenda. This method could be very useful for teams that are close to meeting the buffer zone requirement, but having some difficulty. If a project is meeting 3 of 4 requirements but can't meet the fourth, it can do the following calculation to demonstrate compliance. As a baseline calculation, calculate the area of site disturbance that would take place if you met all four of the requirements exactly. Then, calculate the actual area of site disturbance. If the actual amount is less than the baseline, then you meet the requirement. In essence, you are allotted a "budget" of disturbance and you are allowed to overspend in one parameter if you make for it by under-spending in the other three parameters.
