Perhaps the largest trend in DoD’s conservation programs over the past two decades has been the growth in buffer land protection efforts and engagement in landscape-scale conservation collaborations. Based on the successful examples of off-installation conservation efforts—including Fort Bragg’s Private Lands Initiative— DoD was provided with the authority12 to enter into agreements with state and local governments as well as non-profit conservation organizations to promote compatible land use and protect high-value habitat around military installations (Beard et al. 2020). This authority was intended to address two key encroachment threats to installations—nearby incompatible land uses and environmental restrictions related to protection of endangered species and their habitats. The REPI initiative has been a key program for executing DoD’s buffer authority. Through FY 2019, DoD has invested $962 million in this program leveraging over $853 million in non-DoD partner contributions to protect 688,258 acres of land (DoD 2020b). These partnerships share the cost of acquisition of easements or other interests in land from willing sellers to preserve compatible land uses and natural habitats near installations and ranges that helps sustain critical, at-risk military mission capabilities. Each of the military services have programs and tools for implementing buffer land authority and applying REPI funding.13
REPI also supports large landscape partnerships that are intended to enhance collaborations with federal and state partners across key regions and landscapes. These include the Southeastern Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) and the Western Regional Partnership (WRP). DoD also participates in the Sentinel Landscapes initiative, a partnership with the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior that is designed to work with private landowners in key landscapes to advance sustainable land management practices around military installations and ranges.
12Known as “2684a authority” for the section of the U.S. Code that grants buffer authority (10 U.S. Code § 2684a).
13Additional information on REPI can be found in Chapter 6.
Next Page: Flexibility in Endangered Species Management
Author
Bruce Stein, Ph.D., Chief Scientist and Associate Vice President
National Wildlife Federation
Emerging Trends in DoD Biodiversity Conservation Sections
Emerging Trends in DoD Biodiversity Conservation
Flexibility in Endangered Species Management
Climate Adaption and Resilience
Box 1.3: Overview of INRMP Climate Adaptation Planning Process