We foster collaborative partnerships with the Department of Defense to promote conservation on military lands. Working under the authority of the Sikes Act, we offer guidance and field support for the conservation and management of fish and wildlife resources on military installations while supporting military readiness.
What We Do
Our Projects and Initiatives
The Department of Defense manages approximately 27 million acres of land on 338 military installations, some of which are available to the public for recreation and are largely protected from development. These lands support the preservation of ecologically important native habitats such as old-growth forests, tall-grass prairies, coastal beaches, and wetlands making military installations a haven for fish, wildlife, and plants, including rare and unique species.
- Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans - Integrated Natural Resource Management Plans focus on ecosystem-based management with a goal of managing the natural resources to meet stewardship requirements while supporting, and even enhancing, military training.
- Air Force Natural Resource Partnership – The Air Force and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been engaged in a formal partnership to conserve fish, wildlife, and other natural resources on Air Force lands across the United States and in the Pacific to advance their shared conservation goals on 10 million acres of federal lands that include over 100 military locations.
- Army Natural Resource Partnership - The Army is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to find new ways to increase the conservation of sensitive species and habitats while ensuring the sustainability of the military mission.
- Military Conservation Partner Award - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established the Military Conservation Partner Award to recognize military installations for exceptional cooperative conservation efforts.
- Military Lands Conservation Initiatives - Military lands conservations initiatives include the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program and the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership.
Latest Stories and Topics
Stories
Our Partners
One of the busiest National Guard Training Centers in the U.S. is the only place where the eastern regal fritillary butterfly is still found. It’s not a coincidence.
Our Partners
For 20 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been recognizing the outstanding conservation successes taking place on military lands across the country through the annual Military Conservation Partner Award. This coveted award recognizes elite military installations that are able achieve...
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners with Department of Defense to Conserve Pollinators
The Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program is proud to announce completion of the 2022 annual report.
Endangered Species Act
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the Georgia bully, a flowering shrub found in Georgia, Florida and Alabama, is not at risk of extinction and does not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Habitat Restoration
Five, ten, or even fifteen years from now, when ecologists, wildlife biologists, conservationists and environmentalists worldwide look for an example to follow for future island restoration partnerships and efforts to remove feral animals, the San Nicolas Island Seabird Restoration Project will be...
