SUSTAINABILITY

FEATURES
land management allows us to ensure
sustainable military training in places like
Dartmoor, including public access; and
positive social impacts, such as the article
on the disabled ramblers at Castlemartin
in 2007, and kitchen gardens at
Blandford Camp in 2010. More recently,
Sanctuary has reported on activities in
support of the Greening Government
Commitments, and the work of industry
partners in the stewardship of the estate
and sustainable procurement.
2002 Handbook for Sustainability and the Environment
provides MOD with its first sustainability appraisal tool.
2015 version now available © Crown
As the concept of sustainabilit y
has evolved, so did Sanc tuar y from
the origins of traditional nature
conser vation and environmental
management to incorporate the
social and economic pillars of
sustainability; an understanding that
a sustainable MOD is about long
term planning and prudent use of
our resources and assets.
This has been reflected in the increasing
number of sustainability articles,
including the challenges created by
climate change in 2005 and 2008. The
2006 edition reported how integrated
From the first MOD Conservation
offcer, the MOD’s approach has been
with the premise that sustainability
and Defence are not incompatible;
and 40 years of Sanctuary has shown
not just that they are compatible but
that when managed, are mutually
beneficial. The purpose of the MOD is
national defence, and managing social,
economic and environmental issues
and opportunities is an integral part of
sustaining Defence business.
To build on the ongoing stewardship
of the estate, the new Sustainable
MOD Strategy 2015-2025 sets out our
priorities for the next few years. There
will be an additional focus on reducing
our reliance on fossil fuels; adapting
to the effects of climate change;
increasing the sustainability of our
acquisition and infrastructure systems;
improving the effciency of our energy
The MOD Heritage Report © Crown
and water use and the management
of waste; and using information
and communications technology
to enhance Defence working
environments and capabilities.
Sanctuary was initially titled to
highlight the haven that the Defence
estate provided to wildlife, but as
this, and 43 other editions show,
sustainability in the MOD is much,
much more than that.
Pippa Morrison
Sustainable MOD Team
FMC Cap
1981 – cartoon of MOD flora preservation by Mr David Ricks
10
Sanctuary 44 • 2015