Military Readiness and Environmental Protection Through Cost.effective Land Conservation
Date
2015-05
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Abstract
Harboring a high density of threatened and endangered species on its bases leaves the U.S.
Department of Defense (DoD) with a critical responsibility establishing sound environmental
policies while also continuing training and ensuring military readiness. This dual objective is the
goal of the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program, a large conservation
fund for military installations that is mandated to be cost-effective. Analyzing a unique DoD data
set, we show that use of optimization models generate a 21% increase in military readiness and
environmental protection or achieve the same benefits as benefit targeting at a cost saving of
37%.
Description
Keywords
Cost-effective, Conservation