Current and Emerging Natural Resources Management Issues

Managers submitted opened responses that identified the major unresolved management issues associated with their project's natural resource program (Question 59). They also provided responses that identified emerging management challenges they expected to confront within the next 10 years (Question 60).

Summary of Natural Resources Management Issues of Concern to Corps of Engineers Project Managers. The five most often reported responses are highlighted in yellow.


Response Category	Number of Managers Reporting
	A Present Concern	An Emerging Concern Within 10 Years	Total	Pct of Responses (Total / 220)
Ability To Carry Out Management Tasks
Funding Issues	62	13	75	42%
Staffing Issues	51	14	65	38%
Visitor Management Issues
Recreation Impacts on Natural Resources	34	16	50	28%
Competing Resource Uses	16	9	25	14%
All Terrain Vehicles (ATV's)	13	4	17	10%
Competing Expectations
Relationship with Natural Resource Agencies and Organizations	16	22	38	21%
Agency Regulations/Policies/Priorities	15	19	34	19%
Safety Issues	7	3	10	6%
Public Education/Awareness	5	3	8	5%
Environmental Quality
Water Quality	25	11	36	20%
Water Supply/Allocation	14	10	24	14%
Erosion	13	2	15	8%
Sedimentation	8	3	11	6%
Mining Issues	8	1	9	5%
Pollution	4	5	9	5%
Habitat/Species Management Issues
Terrestrial Habitat Management	17	13	30	17%
Invasive Species and Disease	16	10	26	17%
Endangered Species	12	9	21	12%
Aquatic Habitat Management	6	3	9	5%
Environmental Restoration	0	4	4	2%
Inventory/Monitoring	3	0	3	2%
Land Use Trends
Land Use Changes at Project Boundaries	19	7	26	15%
Regional Development	10	16	26	15%
Encroachment	11	8	19	11%
Shoreline Development	4	0	4	2%
Cultural Resource Issues	7	0	7	4%
Miscellaneous Comments	36	8	44	25%