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Why is natural resources management on military lands important?
Military installations serve vital functions for our country, including training soldiers, testing new technologies, and researching cures for disease, among others. The Department of Defense (DOD) is the fifth largest landowner in the United States, with over 8.8 million acres. Natural resources management on military lands is critical to ensure DOD maintains access to its lands for training and testing and to sustain the long-term ecological integrity of the resource base.
Why was the Center for Natural Resources Management on Military Lands created?
Natural resource managers face a variety of administrative, logistical, and operational challenges that can hinder efforts to sustain land, air, and water resources. Additionally, managers may not have the time and opportunity to keep up with advances in research and understanding. This is especially true for emergent species and processes that can threaten the sustainability of military lands like pests, pathogens, invasive species, and threatened and endangered species management.
The Center for Natural Resources Management on Military Lands was established to help natural resource managers overcome these challenges and contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources on military lands.
What is the mission and vision of the Center for Natural Resource Management on Military Lands?
The mission of the Center for Natural Resources Management on Military Lands is to assist and enhance natural resource management programs on United States military installations while concurrently creating research, education, and outreach opportunities for Auburn University. We aim to bridge the gap that currently exists between natural resource managers on military lands and natural resource management education and research. Our vision is to emerge as the preeminent resource for natural resource managers on United States military installations.
How does the Center for Natural Resource Management on Military Lands assist natural resource managers?
Principally, three strategies are used to assist managers with natural resources tasks on military lands. Strategy selection is based on the needs and expectations of the partner manager and the probability of success as assessed by Auburn. The three strategies include:
- Pairing existing Auburn faculty and staff with the task order.
- Hiring new Auburn employees to complete the task order, either on-site or remote with travel.
- Contract with private companies, organizations, or other Universities to complete tasks.
