Defending Our Nation and its Biodiversity

Many DoD lands (see sidebar) have been protected from development pressures and other potentially damaging uses for years. Access has been limited because of security considerations and the need for safety buffer zones. DoD lands are found in many different parts of the country, and contain some of the finest remaining examples of such rare native vegetative communities as old-growth forest, tall-grass prairies, and vernal pool wetlands. Approximately 220 federally listed species, and additional "candidate" species, are known to inhabit lands under DoD control.

DoD has embraced its stewardship responsibilities for these valuable resources. But management decisions affecting DoD installations must be based on the fact that these lands were set aside to serve military training and testing purposes. The challenge for DoD is to balance the need for use of its air, land, and water resources in military training with the need to conserve these resources for future generations.

Given the complexity of this management challenge, DoD has experienced occasional conflicts between its military mission and its legal mandate to protect threatened and endangered species. During the past decade, about 15 installations have needed to modify or restrict military training or testing to comply with the Endangered Species Act. Among such changes have been modifications of training schedules, the temporary closing of specific areas, restrictions on the types of activities permitted, and improved awareness training for troops using sensitive areas. Although these modifications have not been without cost, long-term military readiness has not been affected. By cooperatively addressing these difficult issues, DoD has forged good working relationships with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. This has resulted in management solutions that generally meet both military and species needs.

Several factors suggest that threatened and endangered species management will remain challenging for DoD. First, as time goes on, an increasing number of species will be listed and need protection. Also, as some military installations close and weapons systems become more sophisticated, demands will increase on DoD's remaining training lands. A further complication is that the areas around many military installations have experienced rapid development over the past 50 years. Increasingly, DoD lands are becoming "islands" of protection within "seas" of development. For these reasons, DoD is looking to regional partnerships as a means of sharing responsibility for species management and recovery, thereby reducing the potential for future restrictions on military operations.

Supporting the Military Mission

The Army's Integrated Training Area Management (ITAM) program is a premier example of how the conservation program directly supports the training mission by protecting and maintaining soils, vegetation, and other resources. By integrating military training and testing with the land's ability to support mission requirements, ITAM has saved money and increased mission capacity at more than 60 Army training sites. The program avoids unnecessary and irreparable damage to vital training ranges, and provides accurate assessments of land conditions to managers and commanders. Other benefits of ITAM include increased training realism, reduced costs for environmental compliance and restoration, and a continued high level of both military readiness and land stewardship.

Another important conservation program that supports the military mission focuses on bird behavior studies. DoD has established monitoring stations across the country to determine population trends, and additional data come from DoD's network of state-of-the-art weather surveillance radar sites. "Next-generation" radar detects birds during migration and provides information about their numbers, general direction of flight, and altitude. Other studies have used satellite telemetry and micro-transmitters for long-range tracking of raptors. Knowing where birds travel, nest, and feed helps DoD avoid potential bird-aircraft collisions while enhancing resource management decisions.

Enhanced Resource Management

DoD has adopted a systematic approach to identify, evaluate, and manage the resources found on military installations. Baseline surveys distinguish areas that can support testing and training from those that should be avoided or protected. More detailed analysis assesses how resources will be affected by mission activities and other uses. Integrated resource management planning promotes the use of DoD resources within certain limits so that adverse effects of mission activities are minimized and sustained reuse of natural resources is encouraged.

DoD is incorporating these activities within an ecosystem-based conservation program that allows the military greater flexibility in managing its lands. Rather than be tied to the limited objective of protecting individual endangered species, DoD is emphasizing the overall protection of existing groups of plants and animals. One example of this approach is unfolding in the Mojave Desert. (See sidebar.)

Use of the ecosystem approach at all DoD installations will help land managers and trainers better assess the quality of DoD lands, determine appropriate uses, assess impacts beyond installation borders, conserve areas that harbor rare or unique species, and integrate these issues with military mission requirements.

To more effectively coordinate resource management and protection in the Mojave Desert, DoD has teamed with the Department of the Interior. This regional conservation partnership will allow each department to inventory its lands, control soil erosion, and prepare management plans that recognize political boundaries but address biological integrity across these boundaries. ^TOP