What is SERPPAS?
The Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) is a unique partnership among leaders from the Department of Defense and the military services, six states (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC and SC), and the federal natural resource, wildlife, ocean and working lands agencies in the Southeast. These leaders work together to identify where the interests of military readiness, conservation, working lands, and communities overlap, depend on each other, are incompatible or are complementary. Formed in 2005, SERPPAS fosters better coordination among local, state, and federal stakeholders in the region to sustain and advance national defense by minimizing encroachment on military installations through land and resource conservation in support of the communities and economies that depend on them.
SERPPAS Goals
Minimize incompatible development with decisions that are beneficial to the military mission, community well-being, rural economics, and environmental requirements.
Increase partnerships to improve military readiness, conservation, the economy, and quality of life.
Utilize data rich and GIS-based maps to identify overlapping and compatible partner priorities.
Develop policy initiatives and promote innovative projects that support the SERPPAS mission.
2024 SERPPAS Strategic Plan
The Strategic Plan serves as a framework for identifying and implementing collaborative and cooperative solutions to various challenges affecting national defense that minimize encroachment on military installations and benefit natural resources, economic sustainability, and the quality of life in the Southeast region.
SERPPAS Region
News
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Announces $122.5 Million in Conservation Grants from the America the Beautiful Challenge
12/2/24
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced $122.5 million in grants through the America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative: America the Beautiful Challenge. The 61 new grants announced today will support landscape-scale conservation projects across 42 states, three U.S. territories and 19 Tribal and Native Nations. The grants will generate at least $8.7 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $131.2 million.
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National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and NOAA Announce $139 Million in New Grants to Support Coastal Resilience Projects
11/25/24
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and NOAA announced $139 million in new grants through the National Coastal Resilience Fund to support nature-based solutions for coastal resilience in 31 coastal states and U.S. territories. A total of 94 grants will promote capacity development, design, and implementation of nature-based solutions to both enhance the resilience of coastal communities and improve fish and wildlife habitat. The grants will generate more than $140 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $280 million. In particular, we would like to congratulate the 5 awardees within the SERPPAS footprint.
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Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund 2025 Request for Proposals
11/20/24
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) seeks proposals to work with landowners to voluntarily restore, enhance and conserve longleaf pine and bottomland hardwood forests within the historical longleaf pine range. The Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund is a funding opportunity for on-the-ground natural resource conservation projects. This RFP reflects a public-private partnership supported with Federal funding from USDA’s Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and private funding from Altria Group, the Bezos Earth Fund, Energy Transfer, International Paper’s Forestland Stewards Partnership, the Orton Foundation, and Southern Company. Approximately $31 million in grant funds is expected to be available in 2025, thanks in large part to a third-year major contribution from the Bezos Earth Fund and increased funding from NRCS. Grant awards are expected to range from $250,000 to $3,000,000.
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Explore the DOD Legacy Resource Management Program's Story Map
11/20/24
The Department of Defense announced the launch of the Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program (Legacy Program) Story Map. This interactive resource offers an immersive journey through the Legacy Program’s impactful contributions to the stewardship of DOD’s natural and cultural resources over the past 34 years, detailing how it has provided strategic, competitive funding for over 3,400 projects across more than 300 installations globally, totaling an impressive $405 million investment in conservation.
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Interior Department Announces Downlisting of Red-cockaded Woodpecker from Endangered to Threatened
10/24/24
The Department of the Interior announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is downlisting the red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. This milestone is the result of five decades of collaborative conservation efforts between the Interior Department, federal and state partners, Tribes, the private sector and private landowners that have resulted in increasing populations of these remarkable birds throughout their range.
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2024 Catalyst Fund Grant Awards
9/30/24
The Network for Landscape Conservation is pleased to announce 15 Catalyst Fund grant awards for Partnerships working to implement place-based, community-grounded conservation at the necessary landscape scale. Catalyst Fund grants are intended to allow for strategic investments in strengthening a Partnership’s collaborative capacity in ways that create enduring forward momentum within the Partnership and accelerate conservation progress into the future. Congratulations to the winners in the SERPPAS footprint in Florida and South Carolina!
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