Policy and guidance
Congress established the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670a- 670o) in 1960 to ensure that DoD conserves and protects the natural resources they use. Because military lands often are protected from human access and impact, they contain some of our nation’s most significant remaining large tracts of valuable natural resources. In 1997, Congress amended the Sikes Act to require DoD to develop and implement (i.e., fund) Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans (INRMPs) to outline how each military installation with significant natural resources will manage those resources. In conjunction with the discussion of INRMPs in DoDI 4715.3,
Environmental Conservation Program (1996)26, the stage was set to fully implement the new requirements. The 1997 amendments also required that INRMPs be prepared in cooperation with the appropriate state fish and game/natural resources agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), that they be subject to public review and comment, that they emphasize natural resources more comprehensively than only fish and wildlife, that they include specific management goals and objectives (and associated timeframes), and that they undergo a review process not less than every five years. Additional details related to policy, guidance and their implementation are in the sections that follow.
The DoD developed guidance on the development and implementation of INRMPs via official memoranda and provides INRMP guides, handbooks, and other development tools, including:
- 10 Oct 2002—Memorandum providing policy on INRMP coordination, reporting, and implementation.
- August 2005—“Best Practices for Integrated Natural Resources Management(INRMP) Implementation” (Gibb 2005a, 2005b). This national-level, Legacy funded study interviewed a number of natural resources managers and reviewed INRMPs representing the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. Among other outcomes, the study developed recommendations across 11 areas of interest relevant to best practices and effective INRMP implementation. Overall, the study found the INRMP document and its associated process—with emphasis on ecosystem management, partnering, and coordination—directly benefit military trainers and play a key role in management and conservation of the nation’s natural resources (Gibb 2005a).
- September 2005—“Resources for INRMP Implementation. A Handbook for the DoD Natural Resources Managers.”
- 14 August 2006—Memorandum outlining an INRMP template for new and revised INRMPs.
- March 2011—DoD Instruction 4715.03, Natural Resources Conservation Program. (Incorporating Change 2, August 2018.
- July 2013—Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the DoD, FWS and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) for a Cooperative Integrated Natural Resources Management Program. This MOU furthers a cooperative relationship between the participating agencies in preparing, reviewing, revising, updating and implementing INRMPs for military installations.
26 The most recent version is DoDI 4715.03
- November 2013—DoD Manual 4715.03, Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) Implementation Manual. This manual establishes implementing guidance to manage DoD’s natural resources for mission and stewardship purposes. (Incorporating Change 2, August 2018)
- July 2015—Memorandum by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Environment, Safety and Occupational Health: Mutual Department of Defense & FWS Guidelines for Streamlined Review of Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan Updates. The guidelines are intended to clarify and describe the process for reviewing and concurring on updates to existing INRMPs, as described in the Tripartite Agency MOU signed in July 2013.
Each military service has developed specific policy guidance for INRMP implementation in its individual natural resources directives and through other guidance. The most recent service guidance is shown below:
Army
- Army Regulation 200-1, Environmental Protection and Enhancement (December 2007)
Navy
- OPNAVINST 5090.1E, Environmental Readiness Program Manual, OPNAVM 5090.1 (September 2019)
U.S. Marine Corps
- USMC Handbook for Preparing, Revising and Implementing Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans on Marine Corp Installations” (October 2007)
- Environmental Compliance and Protection Program, Volume II, Marine Corps Order 5090.2-Vol II, June 2018.
U.S. Air Force
Air Force Instruction 32-7064, Integrated Natural Resources Management, Incorporating Change 3, August 2013.
These policies are subject to periodic review and revision because of their relationship to so many other natural resources management issues (e.g. sustainability, encroachment, etc.), legislation and policies. INRMPs are developed and implemented in response to a variety of requirements, but DoD biodiversity conservation efforts often exceed those requirements, or are adjusted through cooperation with regulators. For example, species protection, recovery and management activities on installations are often embedded within larger habitat or ecosystem-scale efforts for not only a single species, but for multiple species that may rely on similar habitats or are impacted by similar threats or stressors. Furthermore, the delisting (no longer threatened or endangered) or downlisting (from endangered to threatened) of a species does not necessarily lead to downscaling in recovery or management activities for that species. In some cases, aspects of rare species management may continue as before. A recent example from Fort Hood illustrates DoD’s commitment to both biodiversity management and to minimizing constraints to the military mission, as captured in the INRMP (See Box below).
Next Page: Box 5.1: Black-capped Vireo at Fort Hood and Fort Sill: INRMP captures commitments after delisting
Author
David S. Jones, RA IV, Ecologist/Project Manager
Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands
Warner College of Natural Resources
Colorado State University
The Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan: Foundations and Key Topics
INRMP drivers and underpinnings
Box 5.1: Black-capped Vireo at Fort Hood and Fort Sill: INRMP captures commitments after delisting