Introduction
This chapter describes the rise of partnerships as a conservation and training sustainment tool by DoD. It describes policies and guidance affecting the development and use of partnerships, highlights characteristics of successful partnerships, and provides examples.
The majority of military installations focused on training and testing were originally established during the mid-1900s in rural areas distant from urban centers. As small towns grew into larger urban areas and rural areas dominated by agriculture or undeveloped land became increasingly exurban and suburban, conflicts between military training (e.g., noise) and communities near installations have increased.
Partnerships are the primary overarching strategy used by the Department of Defense (DoD) to minimize the effects of encroachment arising from such conflicts and ensure that training missions can continue to be supported over the long term. Beyond resolving the encroachment issues faced by installations, partnerships benefit the participants by supporting their needs or mandates, be they conservation of agricultural lands and livelihoods, plants and animals and their habitats, watershed and water quality values, or biodiversity objectives. Partnerships can favor conservation of biodiversity at multiple scales. While this chapter focuses on partnerships, other policies, strategies, and tools for addressing encroachment are discussed in Chapters 2, 4 and 8.
Next Page: The benefits of partnerships
Author
David S. Jones, RA IV, Ecologist/Project Manager
Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands
Warner College of Natural Resources
Colorado State University