Abstract
A computer simulation model, the Regional Simulator (RSim), was constructed to project how landuse changes affect the quality of water, air, noise, and habitat of species of special concern. RSim was designed to simulate these environmental impacts for five counties in Georgia that surround and include Fort Benning. The model combines existing data and modeling approaches to simulate the effects of land-cover changes on: nutrient export by hydrological unit; peak 8-h average ozone concentrations; noise caused by small arms and blasts; and habitat changes for the rare Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) and gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). The model also includes submodules for urban growth, new urbanization influenced by existing roads, nonurban land cover transitions, and a new military training area under development at Fort Benning. The model was run under scenarios of business as usual (BAU) and greatly increased urban growth for the region. The projections show that the effects of high urban growth will likely differ from those of BAU for noise and nitrogen and phosphorus loadings to surface water, but not for peak airborne ozone concentrations, at least in the absence of associated increases in industry and transportation use or technology changes. In both scenarios, no effects of urban growth are anticipated for existing populations of the federally endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. In contrast, habitat for gopher tortoise in the five-county region is projected to decline by 5 and 40% in the BAU and high urban growth scenarios, respectively. RSim is designed to assess the relative environmental impacts of planned activities both inside and outside military installations and to address concerns related to encroachment and transboundary influences.
Highlights
A regional approach to environmental impact assessments (Munns 2006) provides the opportunity to examine the extent and spatial interactions of key drivers and processes that are affected by land-use change
The model combines existing data and modeling approaches to simulate the effects of land-cover changes on: nutrient export by hydrological unit; peak 8-h average ozone concentrations; noise caused by small arms and blasts; and habitat changes for the rare Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) and gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)
We focus on the region of Georgia around and inclusive of Fort Benning for three reasons: large quantities of data are available; the region will undergo dramatic changes in the future as the military training activities and the many people that support them at Fort Knox, Kentucky, are moved to Fort Benning; and military land, on which urban growth is restricted, serves as a control against which changes on private lands can be compared
Summary
A regional approach to environmental impact assessments (Munns 2006) provides the opportunity to examine the extent and spatial interactions of key drivers and processes that are affected by land-use change. Because these drivers and the factors that influence these processes change over space because of variation in features such as topography, climate, and human activities, it is important to consider their influence in a spatial context to understand the full range and extent of the causes and implications of environmental change. Inappropriate management actions can result from a focus on only one sector, rather than the consideration of all aspects of the environment that might be affected
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