PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 105: Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species: Fauna; Management
Wednesday, August 10, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Meeting Room 522 A, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Biodiversity of threatened and endangered species on army training lands.
Warren, Steven*,1, Buettner, Reiner2, Dale, Debra3, Whelan, Nathaniel4, Holbrook, Scott3, 1 Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA2 Institut fuer Vegetationskunde und Landschaftsoekologie, Hemhofen, Germany3 Installation Management Agency - Europe, Heidelberg, Germany4 HQ, 7th Army Training Command, Grafenwoehr, Germany
ABSTRACT- Military training lands are typically characterized by a high density of threatened and endangered species, and high overall biodiversity. In the United States, the density of threatened and endangered species is 3 to 9 times greater on Department of Defense lands than on lands managed by other Federal agencies. In Germany, the Grafenwöhr and Hohenfels Training areas support 2 to 3 times more threatened and endangered species per unit area than national forests and national parks in the same region. We have proposed a "non-uniform disturbance hypothesis" to explain the phenomenon. We suggest that military disturbances replace, in part, natural disturbances that have been eliminated or reduced by well-intentioned land managers and public policy. Furthermore, the disturbances that occur on Army training lands are generally non-uniform in time, space, and intensity, compared to more uniform human-induced disturbances occurring elsewhere. The non-uniform nature of the disturbance creates a heterogeneous habitat capable of sustaining a greater number of species, some of which may be disturbance-dependent. Eight threatened and endangered species (two amphibians, 2 insects and 4 plants) were investigated on training areas in Germany to examine their dependence on disturbance. All eight species showed some degree of disturbance-dependence, ranging from near 100% recent surface disturbance to 3-5 year old disturbance. On any given training area, the mosaic of disturbance levels typically ranges from badly disturbed to nearly pristine. The density and diversity of threatened and endangered species on training areas supports the non-uniform disturbance hypothesis.
Key words: military training, disturbance-dependence, non-uniform disturbance hypothesis