Species at risk (SAR) considerations should be included in the INRMP. According to DoDI 4715.03: โTo the extent practicable, all DoD Components shall establish policy and procedures for the management of species at risk (SAR) to prioritize proactive management of those species that, if listed, could adversely impact military readiness. Program objectives shall focus on efforts that have the greatest potential to prevent the listing of SAR (e.g., habitat conservation, planning level surveys, monitoring). Protecting these species is critical; therefore, the installation INRMP should consider funding for SAR protection a high priority.โ
A comprehensive analysis of SAR applying these criteria on DoD lands was last completed by NatureServe (2015) (see discussion of that analysis in Chapter 1). That analysis defined SAR as native, regularly occurring species in the United States that are not federally listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, but are either:
- Candidates for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, or
- Proposed for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, or
- Critically imperiled (rounded global rank of G1 or T1), or
- Imperiled (rounded global rank of G2 or T2) plants and animals, according to the NatureServe conservation status rank criteria, or
- Vulnerable birds with a rounded global rank of G3 according to the NatureServe conservation status rank criteria or an IUCN status of critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, or near threatened30.
Box 5.2: The Army is managing species at risk on the Island of Hawai’i
By Dave Jones and Lena Schnell, Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, Colorado State University (CEMML/CSU). Adapted from an article published in the Fall 2020 edition of โNatural Selections,โ the newsletter of the DoD Natural Resources Program31.
Island ecosystems harbor many rare and endemic species that are vulnerable to invasion and new disturbances. U.S. Army Garrison, Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) personnel, located in one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, are persistently working to prevent additional species listings under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Currently, PTA manages 20 ESA-listed plants and six ESA-listed animals, as well as many additional species at-risk (SAR) to prevent their future ESA listings. Avoiding species listings can increase installation and mission resilience. Specific threats to listed species and SAR at PTA include habitat loss and degradation, predation by non-native animals (e.g., feral ungulates, rats, cats, mongoose), wildland fire, extreme weather events (e.g., drought), land development and military activities, and invasive species. A changing climate will likely exacerbate invasive plant competition, wildland fire risk, and drought stress.
In 2019, CEMML conducted an in-depth analysis to identify all SAR at PTA. Specifically, CEMML gathered information through literature reviews, state and federal data, NatureServe data, and installation data to identify species meeting
DoDโs SAR criteria. The baseline data helped to determine which SAR have a higher priority for management and monitoring. Additionally, some SAR may require more active management practices than others. Identifying these specific needs on installations can help maintain the overall biodiversity and health of the ecosystem.
The analysis, the first step toward developing comprehensive SAR planning and management, identified 26 plant SAR and 24 animal SAR observed on PTA. The 50 total SAR are nearly four times the previous 13 SAR on PTA estimated by NatureServe (2015). This discrepancy is likely due to a combination of incomplete data for the 2015 analysis; changes in species occurrences, federal status, taxonomy, and conservation status ranks; and varying levels of access to installation data. Keeping data up to date is a critical component to species management on any installation. These results identified SAR that were not previously present or recognized, and will help guide management actions for all SAR on PTA, as well as support Recovery and Sustainment Partnership (RASP) Initiative efforts between DoD and the Department of the Interior.
30 For an explanation of NatureServe status ranks, seehttps://www.natureserve.org/conservationtools/ conservation-status-assessment
31https://www.denix.osd.mil/nr/
Next Page: Managing for climate change through INRMPs
Author
David S. Jones, RA IV, Ecologist/Project Manager
Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands
Warner College of Natural Resources
Colorado State University