The onset of construction and personnel transfers to the islands of Guam and Tinian present a case study in which peacetime military operations threaten conservation of environmental resources. The planning process in...The onset of construction and personnel transfers to the islands of Guam and Tinian present a case study in which peacetime military operations threaten conservation of environmental resources. The planning process indicates land conversion, increased population, and invasive species arriving in the midst of increased imports are among the major impending threats, especially to terrestrial biological resources. We discuss historical events that have marginalized the contributions of local stakeholders, mistake-ridden planning processes revealing inadequate efforts to safeguard the environment, and compelling evidence that predicts a trajectory targeting imminent damage of terrestrial resources. We contend these developments present a case study within the ecological ethics discipline whereby peacetime military operations push conservation of the environment to the sidelines in the name of national defense. We conclude that conservation of environmental resources is not ancillary to national security, it is integral. Wartime military damage to natural resources is unavoidable, therefore, peacetime military operations should embrace conservation priorities to a greater degree.展开更多
文摘The onset of construction and personnel transfers to the islands of Guam and Tinian present a case study in which peacetime military operations threaten conservation of environmental resources. The planning process indicates land conversion, increased population, and invasive species arriving in the midst of increased imports are among the major impending threats, especially to terrestrial biological resources. We discuss historical events that have marginalized the contributions of local stakeholders, mistake-ridden planning processes revealing inadequate efforts to safeguard the environment, and compelling evidence that predicts a trajectory targeting imminent damage of terrestrial resources. We contend these developments present a case study within the ecological ethics discipline whereby peacetime military operations push conservation of the environment to the sidelines in the name of national defense. We conclude that conservation of environmental resources is not ancillary to national security, it is integral. Wartime military damage to natural resources is unavoidable, therefore, peacetime military operations should embrace conservation priorities to a greater degree.
