Valuing Biodiversity Public Lands in the U

The Value of Biodiversity—Decision Making for Public Lands

Abstract Many public lands, particularly those owned and managed by the U. S. Federal government, are havens for biodiversity. This seems intuitively logical for parks, coastal protected areas and other parcels designated for the stated purpose of environmental preservation. However, the Department of Defense is one of the largest managers of Federal lands. With 30 million acres of land, military bases and related sites are havens and habitat for threatened and endangered species and the communities within which they thrive. For some species, these bases are the largest and most secure habitat available. How is this value captured in the decision making process for current and future uses of this land? This paper addresses the issues surrounding this topic and how economic techniques can contribute clarity and rigor to the discussion. It offers case studies of military bases and dredged material disposal areas where explicit efforts are being made to incorporate the value of biodiversity in the decision making process.

What is biodiversity? There are many learned, scientific definitions. Biodiversity definitions on many public lands has been driven by legal and regulatory requirements. Key historic influences and those emerging to impact the future will be reviewed. Topics will include the Endangered Species Act, Sikes Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Environmental Operating Principles, Executive Order 13186, Executive Order on Facilitation of Cooperative Conservation.

How is it measured in economic terms? Various approaches to valuing biodiversity from current innovative work efforts will be explored. Techniques include monetization, economic indicators and computer assisted reasoning (CARS). Emphasis will be on how they contribute to the decision making process.

Applications/Case Studies

1. Military Bases in the U. S. A. A partnership which has matured over the past 10 years has been surprising to many. The Nature Conservancy and the U. S. DOD have found common ground on the issue of habitat preservation and management on and near military bases. The DOD manages nearly 30 million acres which is home to 330 federally endangered and threatened species. This is more than found on any other group of Federal lands, including the over 90 million acres in the National Park system. (Herring, 2004) In biologically diverse locations such as the Florida panhandle, Eglin Air Force Base is an important haven in a rapidly developing area. (Gose, 2004) Locations across the U. S. will be highlighted: . Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (Booz, Allen, Hamilton, 2004) . Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, California (National Resource Council 2004) . Fort Stewart Army Base, Georgia (Nature Conservancy 2003) . Fort Carson Army Base, Colorado (Herring, 2004)(Nature Conservancy 2004) . Fort Bragg Army Base, North Carolina (Herring 2004)

2. Dredged Material Disposal Areas, East Coast U.S. A. For over 100 years in the U.S.A., material has been dredged from inland and coastal waterways to increase depths and improve operations. The material dredged was considered waste to be disposed of as cheaply and conveniently as possible. This resulted in the creation of many islands which were little concern to humans. As human populations increased, birds found these islands the best available habitat. For many species of breeding, migrating and wintering birds, these islands became vital habitat (Guilfoyle, 2005). As environmental consciousness and laws expanded in the 1970s, an awareness of the value and potential for dredged material in developing bird habitat also occurred. To comply with environmental regulations, diked areas were created for placement of dredged material. The system of confined disposal facilities (CDFs) in Savannah, GA, U.S.A. is managed specifically to maximize its value as habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl. The CDFs cover 4800 acres. Over a 15 year period, 288 individual species have been recorded with over 35,000 individuals in the CDFs at one time (Calver 2005). The process which established the value of these management actions for bird populations and the implementation of the management system is a true example of achieving Pareto optimum.

Looking Forward Overarching Principles . Biodiversity as a more explicit goal. . Sustainability as the overarching principle guiding decisions. . From reactive to proactive actions. . Increased geographic scale-regional, watershed, international. . Expanded partnerships—mutual interests, interdependency, shared expertise. . More monitoring to confirm value and adapt actions.

Case Study Specific Principles . Greater intra-DOD leverage for ecosystem/large scale conservation versus species specific actions. . Creative approaches to serve military and environmental needs—on base preservation, easements versus purchase, more partnerships. . Increased recognition of dredged material disposal areas as scarce, valuable habitat. . Enhanced interagency efforts to manage dredged material disposal areas to maximize habitat value.

References

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