Defense Coastal/Estuarine Research Program 2 (DCERP2)
Abstract
Critical military training and testing on lands along the nation s coastal and estuarine shorelines are increasingly placed at risk because of development pressures in surrounding areas, impairments due to other anthropogenic disturbances, and increasing requirements for compliance with environmental regulations. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has established ecosystem-based management as the preferred approach for military lands (Goodman, 1996). To expand its commitment to improving military readiness while demonstrating the science behind this approach, the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) has made a commitment of a minimum of 10 years to fund research and monitoring projects that support the sustainability of military training and testing in ecologically and economically important ecosystems. To accomplish this goal, and in particular for coastal environments, SERDP launched the Defense Coastal/Estuarine Research Program (DCERP) at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune (MCBCL) in North Carolina (Figure 1-1) in 2006. As a U.S. Marine Corps installation, MCBCL has a single and exclusive mission: military preparedness. MCBCL provides an ideal platform for DCERP because it integrates coastal barrier, aquatic/estuarine, coastal wetland, and terrestrial ecosystems, all within the boundaries of DoD properties. DCERP was implemented in two contract periods. The first cycle of DCERP, referred to as DCERP1, was conducted from July 2006 January 2013. The second cycle of DCERP, referred to as DCERP2, has a 3-month planning period (November 2012 to January 31, 2013) and an implementation period of 4 years and 9 months (February 1, 2013 through November 1, 2017). Since DCERP1 was implemented, the potential impacts of climate change on military training have been identified as a growing challenge to our nation s military readiness.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA600411
Entities
People
- Patricia A. Cunningham
Organizations
- RTI International