Grasslands

VIDEO COMING SOON

Also called steppes, pampas, prairies or plains, grasslands were once home to some of the largest assemblages of wildlife the earth has ever known - bison, pronghorn, zebra, and wildebeest, in vast migratory herds. Today grasslands are considered the most altered, most threatened, and least protected terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. More than half of native grasslands and savannas have been converted to agricultural land. Less than 10% remain intact and are formally protected. With roots reaching up to 15 ft, native grasses sequester carbon deep into the earth, where approximately one-third of all terrestrial carbon is stored - in grassland soils. The conservation and restoration of grasslands is essential to maintain one of the earth’s great carbon reserves, and the connectivity of its irreplaceable migratory landscapes. 

- WWF, WLFW, TNC

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Advocate for grassland conservation policy and conservation easements that permanently protect grassland from being plowed into cropland.

• Support programs that restore native grassland.

• Support perennial grain crops like Kernza and regenerative practices that reduce tillage and mimic the deep-rooted structure of native grassland.