Bombing for Biodiversity : Integrating the MilitaryTraining and Environmental Values of MilitaryTraining Areas
Creators: name: Zentelis, Richard Aleksander
Publisher: name: The Australian National University
Year: 2017
Subjects: environmental management, military training areas, integrated land management

description: Military training areas (MTAs) cover an estimated 2-3 percent of the Earth’s terrestrial environment, occurring in all major biomes. These areas are important supplementary sites for biodiversity conservation, with the potential to increase the global protected area network by approximately 12-15 percent if recognised for their environmental values and managed appropriately. Despite the significant area that MTAs occupy, and their potential contribution to biodiversity protection globally, there is a paucity of research and understanding of their environmental values, and how best to integrate management of military training and environmental values. My research focussed on understanding and integrating management of the military training and environmental values found on MTAs. The first part of my research focussed on understanding the military training and environmental values of MTAs. This research highlighted that only limited empirical data exist on the environmental values of these areas. An investigation of the Australian MTA management framework revealed that management of military training and environmental values are not integrated. Second, I focussed on developing a set of management principles to guide the management of MTAs. As MTAs are unique, with no other land management unit being subject to similar types of impacts, the principles combine existing and novel approaches for the management of these areas. Central to the design of the principles are two adaptive management loops that integrate military training and environmental management outcomes. This is the first time that two adaptive management loops have been used to manage the one land use activity. The final part of my research focussed on 1. Developing a land management model and management prescriptions for MTAs that integrate the management of the military training and environmental values of these areas, allowing for improved management outcomes that are transparent and accountable, and, 2. Providing guidance, in the absence of further detailed environmental information, on how best to manage military training-related environmental disturbance. The land management model consists of two management equations and a four-part management condition test that, when appropriately applied, should result in improved management outcomes for both the military training and environmental values of MTAs. The new approach allows for the assessment of different MTA land management configurations prior to on-ground implementation. The model also makes provision for the incorporation of management costs. Guidance on how best to manage military training-related environmental disturbance was developed by initially investigating the causes for military training-related disturbance and simulating military training-related environmental disturbance at different range usage rates under a typical range rotation use strategies. These results were compared to estimated ecosystem recovery rates from training activities. We found that even at relatively low usage rates, random allocation and random spatial use of training ranges within an MTA resulted in environmental degradation. To avoid large scale environmental degradation, we developed a decision-making tool that details the best method for managing training-related disturbance by determining how training activities can be allocated to training ranges. Collectively, the research in this thesis has resulted in the development of a new approach to the management of MTAs that allows for better integration of the military training and environmental values.