Nutrient load on pastures is spatially variable and thus it is difficult to estimate the effect of excretal returns on greenhouse gas emissions of a pasture. Buffer zones diminish nutrient losses to watercourses but it is not well known how much gaseous nitrogen is emitted from them. Greenhouse gas emissions from pastures and buffer zones were measured in 2002-2005 on field experiments in Maaninka and Jokioinen. The background emissions of nitrous oxide and methane and emissions from patches of urine and dung were measured separately. On the average 0.9% of the nitrogen applied to soil in urine and dung was emitted as nitrous oxide. On the basis of these results it can be estimated that the default emission factor of the IPCC (2%) overestimates nitrous oxide emissions from Finnish pastures. The emissions of methane were of minor importance compared to the emissions from the gastric fermentation of ruminants or treatment of manure. Nitrous oxide emissions from different types of buffer zones were low compared to the pasture adjacent to them, or to Finnish arable soils in general. The buffer zones were a sink for methane whereas the pasture was a slight source of methane. The highest methane oxidation capacity was found on buffer zones with natural vegetation.