---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 2694"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "2694"
heading: "Conservation and cultural activities"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/2694"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part IV — Service, Supply, and Property"
  - "Chapter 159 — Real Property; Related Personal Property; and Lease of Non-Excess Property"
---

# §2694. Conservation and cultural activities

- (a) **Establishment.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense may establish and carry out a [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) to conduct and manage in a coordinated manner the conservation and cultural activities described in [subsection (b)](#b).
- (b) **Activities.—**
  - (1) A conservation or cultural activity eligible for the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) that the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) establishes under [subsection (a)](#a) is any activity—
    - (A) that has regional or [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense-wide significance and that involves more than one [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) [department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) or involves a sentinel landscape;
    - (B) that is necessary to meet legal requirements or to support [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) operations or that would contribute to maintaining or improving [military installation resilience](/usc/10/101.md?p=f-8);
    - (C) that can be more effectively managed at the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense level; and
    - (D) for which no executive [agency](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3) has been designated responsible by the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3).
  - (2) Such activities include the following:
    - (A) The development of ecosystem-wide land management plans or nature-based [climate resilience](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-19) plans.
    - (B) The conduct of wildlife studies to ensure the safety and sustainability of [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) operations.
    - (C) The identification and return of Native American human remains and cultural items in the possession or control of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense, or discovered on land under the jurisdiction of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6), to the appropriate Native American tribes.
    - (D) The control of invasive species that may hinder [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) activities or degrade [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) [training](/usc/10/301.md?p=9) [ranges](/usc/10/101.md?p=f-1).
    - (E) The establishment of a regional curation system for artifacts found on [military installations](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-4).
    - (F) The implementation of ecosystem-wide land management plans—
      - (i) for a single ecosystem—
        - (I) that encompasses at least two non-contiguous [military installations](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-4), if those [military installations](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-4) are not all under the administrative jurisdiction of the same [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of a [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) [department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6); and
        - (II) providing synergistic benefits unavailable if the installations acted separately; or
      - (ii) for one or more ecosystems within a sentinel landscape.
- (c) **Cooperative Agreements.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) may negotiate and enter into cooperative agreements with public and private [agencies](/usc/10/3451.md?p=3), organizations, institutions, individuals, or other entities to carry out the [program](/usc/10/2101.md?p=1) established under [subsection (a)](#a).
- (d) **Effect on Other Laws.—** Nothing in this section shall be construed or interpreted as preempting any otherwise applicable Federal, [State](/usc/10/4951.md?p=4), or local law or regulation relating to the management of natural and cultural resources on [military installations](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-4).
- (e) **Sentinel Landscape Defined.—** In this section, the term “sentinel landscape” has the meaning given that term in [section 2693(g) of this title](/usc/10/2693.md?p=g).

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title III, § 332(a)(1), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2484; amended Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title X, § 1073(a)(59), Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1903; Pub. L. 112–81, div. B, title XXVIII, § 2814, Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1688; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title III, § 317(c), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1632; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title III, § 311(c)(2), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 215.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2023—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 118–31 substituted “meaning given that term in section 2693(g) of this title” for “meaning given that term in section 317(f) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 10 U.S.C. 2684a note)”.

2021—Subsec. (b)(1)(A). Pub. L. 117–81, § 317(c)(1)(A)(i), inserted “or involves a sentinel landscape” before semicolon at end.

Subsec. (b)(1)(B). Pub. L. 117–81, § 317(c)(1)(A)(ii), inserted “or that would contribute to maintaining or improving military installation resilience” before semicolon at end.

Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 117–81, § 317(c)(1)(B)(i), inserted “or nature-based climate resilience plans” before period at end.

Subsec. (b)(2)(F)(i). Pub. L. 117–81, § 317(c)(1)(B)(ii)(I), inserted a dash after “single ecosystem”, designated remaining existing provisions as subcl. (I), redesignated provisions of existing cl. (ii) as subcl. (II) of cl. (i), and realigned margins.

Subsec. (b)(2)(F)(ii). Pub. L. 117–81, § 317(c)(1)(B)(ii)(II), added cl. (ii). Former cl. (ii) redesignated cl. (i)(II).

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 117–81, § 317(c)(2), added subsec. (e).

2011—Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 112–81, § 2814(1), inserted “and sustainability” after “safety”.

Subsec. (b)(2)(F). Pub. L. 112–81, § 2814(2), added subpar. (F).

1997—Subsec. (b)(1)(D). Pub. L. 105–85 substituted “executive agency” for “executive ageny”.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title III, § 332(b), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2485, provided that: “Section 2694 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on October 1, 1996.”