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Sunlight on grasslands in the Tibetan Plateau at an elevation of over 13,000 feet.

Sunlight on grasslands in the Tibetan Plateau at an elevation of over 13,000 feet.

Credit: Heather Angel / Nature Picture Library

Grasslands

Call to action:

Protect and restore grasslands to preserve the communities of humans and wildlife that depend on them, reverse desertification, improve water cycles, and sequester carbon in their soils.

Occupying approximately 40 percent(link is external) of the planet’s land surface, grasslands(link is external) are among the most endangered ecosystems on earth(link is external). Home to bison, zebra, wildebeest(link is external), antelopes, rhinos, and numerous other wildlife species, grasslands, and savannahs comprise 80 percent of all agricultural land(link is external) and support a billion people(link is external). They account for one-third(link is external) of global terrestrial carbon storage, much of which takes place below ground, making it more secure than forests(link is external). In many places, grasslands are shared with human pastoralists(link is external) and their livestock. However, grasslands are being lost and degraded. In the U.S., 40 percent of shortgrass(link is external) and 99 percent of tallgrass(link is external) prairie have been converted to cropland(link is external). Droughts amplified by climate change are heavily impacting grasslands(link is external). These losses have cascading negative impacts(link is external), including carbon sequestration(link is external), and need to be countered with protection(link is external) and restoration(link is external).

Nexus Rating SystemBeta

Solutions to the climate emergency have unique social and environmental effects, positive and negative. To develop a broader understanding of the solutions in Nexus, we rate each solution on five criteria.

Sources for each Nexus are graded numerically (-3 through 10), and the average is displayed as a letter grade. You can explore each source in depth by clicking “view sources” below. For more information, see our Nexus Ratings page.

Grasslands
8.06
8.13
8.00
8.67
7.00

Grasslands

Culture
A-
Women
A-
Biodiversity
A-
Carbon
B+
Reference Social Justice Culture Women Biodiversity Carbon
Role of women in sustainable management of Kangayam grassland(link is external) 8.0 8.0 7.0
Sister of the Soil(link is external) 8.0 8.0 8.0
Grassland Biodiversity(link is external) 10.0
Grasslandsmore important for ecosystem services than you might think(link is external) 9.0 9.0
Global plight of native temperate grasslands(link is external) 8.0 10.0
Landscape-scale conservation mitigates the biodiversity loss of grassland birds(link is external) 9.0
Grassland biodiversity can pay(link is external) 7.0 8.0
Scaling up private land conservation to meet recovery goals for grassland birds(link is external) 9.0
Impact of Agro-pastoralism on Grasslands in Serengeti and Ugalla Ecosystems Tanzania(link is external) 8.0 7.0 9.0
Effectiveness of Grassland Protection and Pastoral Area Development under the Grassland Ecological Conservation Subsidy and Reward Policy(link is external) 9.0 9.0 8.0
Environmental crisis and its impact on women. The case of the Sudan(link is external) 7.0 7.0
Revitalizing Grasslands in Kenyas Dry Amboseli with Maasai Women(link is external) 8.0 8.0 9.0 9.0
Unique Alliance Between Gauchos and Environmentalists Protects Argentinas Pampas(link is external) 9.0 9.0 9.0
Integrating strict protection and sustainable use areas to preserve the Brazilian Pampa biome through conservation planning(link is external) 8.0
Restoration of degraded grasslands can benefit climate change mitigation and key ecosystem services(link is external) 8.0 8.0
Twenty years of tallgrass prairie restoration in northern Illinois USA(link is external) 8.0 8.0
We said there must be ladies: the pioneering Maasai women ending all-male leadership of the land(link is external) 9.0 9.0 9.0
Assessing restoration benefit of grassland ecosystem incorporating preference heterogeneity empirical data from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region(link is external) 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0
Three Rivers Grassland Restoration China(link is external) 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0
Gender Roles in Grassland Management in Mongolia(link is external) 8.0 8.0 9.0
Fort Belknap Indian Community Grassland Restoration Partnership(link is external) 8.0 8.0 8.0
Pastoralist Conservation: Local Ecological Knowledge and Collective Action for Grassland Conservation in Sierra de Segura (Spain)(link is external) 8.0 8.0
Role of Tibetan Women in Carbon Balance in the Alpine Grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau. A Review(link is external) 7.0 7.0
Grassland Protection - Project Drawdown(link is external) 6.0
Grassland soil carbon sequestration: Current understanding, challenges, and solutions(link is external) 8.0
8.1 8.1 8.0 8.7 7.0

Action Items

Individuals

Learn why grasslands are threatened and why it is important to protect and restore them. Temperate grasslands(link is external) include the prairies of North America(link is external), the steppes of Eurasia(link is external), and the Pampas (link is external)of South America. Tropical grasslands(link is external) include the savannahs (link is external)of Africa(link is external), northern Australia(link is external), and the Cerrado (link is external)of southern Brazil. All types are characterized by abundant grass species, carbon-rich soil, and diverse wildlife, including many types of birds(link is external). Grasslands provide multiple ecosystem services(link is external), including food for livestock, water infiltration(link is external), pollination sources, nutrient cycling(link is external), and carbon sequestration(link is external), as well as recreational uses. Although grasslands have existed for millions of years(link is external), human activities have recently degraded(link is external) them (see Desertification Nexus). Threats to grasslands and their wildlife include:

Volunteer with local conservation groups. Many grasslands and savannahs around the world have local or regional groups that work to protect and restore them and offer a wide variety of activities. You can help remove invasive weeds, grow, and plant a native species to assist pollinators, take part in a wildlife survey, or participate in restoration work (see Degraded Land Restoration Nexus).

Get involved with wildlife issues connected to grasslands. In addition to the endangerment of their habitat, many species of wildlife are in jeopardy(link is external) as a result of human activities, including poaching, illegal hunting, bushmeat markets, and the spread of chemicals and pollution. The rate of loss is accelerating(link is external). Understanding the threats and then taking action at home or abroad can assist animals in peril.

Participate in ecotourism and travel to destinations on or near grasslands and savannahs. Ecotourism(link is external) takes visitors to natural environments with the goal of supporting local conservation efforts, observing wildlife, and supporting a green economy(link is external). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, ecotourism was thriving(link is external) in many places around the world, including the tropical grasslands of Africa. The financial hardship caused by the pandemic(link is external) to conservation efforts has been severe. Efforts are underway by ecotourism companies(link is external) to reestablish their operations with projections for robust future growth(link is external). Here are some examples:

Become a Master Naturalist with an emphasis on grassland and savannah ecology and restoration. Here(link is external) is a list of Master Naturalist programs by state in the U.S. Here(link is external) is a Master Class on Savannah Restoration offered in Texas.

Buy products that support the protection, management, and restoration of grasslands. Farmers and ranchers, often in partnership with conservation organizations, have implemented marketing campaigns that promote their regenerative agricultural practices, many linked to grasslands. Purchasing these products supports the farm or ranch and encourages others to adopt similar conservation programs on their land. Examples include:

Support organizations that actively protect grasslands and wildlife and work on their protection and restoration by making a donation or joining the organization. Conservation organizations need financial support to carry out their missions, and a donation allows groups to continue their work. BirdLife International (link is external)works with local groups and landowners to restore and protect grasslands in South America and other locations(link is external) around the world, improving the state of the world’s birds(link is external). Other possibilities can be found on the Organizations list below.

Groups

Farmers, Ranchers, and other Landowners

Protect native grasslands and savannahs from loss and fragmentation. A significant amount of grasslands around the world have been lost, degraded, or are no longer intact due to human activities(link is external), especially the conversion from pasture to crop agriculture. Every effort(link is external) needs to be made to stem further loss. In the northern Great Plains, over 130 million acres of grasslands remain intact(link is external), 70 percent of which is privately owned. In Africa, the conversion of savannahs to farming(link is external) is pushed by banks and governments as rural economic development. Instead, public, private, and community owners of grasslands should:

Improve livestock grazing practices. Grasslands and savannahs are home to large herds of native herbivores, such as bison(link is external), which have evolved their grazing behavior over millennia. Mimicking(link is external) the “graze-and-go” behavior of native herbivores(link is external) with domesticated livestock(link is external) supports the biological health of these ecosystems, improves water cycling, reduces erosion(link is external), and can increase the amount of carbon that can be sequestered and stored in grassland soils(link is external) (see Regenerative Agriculture Nexus).

Conduct controlled burning of your grassland. Ecologically, many grasslands and savannahs(link is external) are adapted to dry-season fires(link is external), which remove dead and dry plants, stimulating new growth(link is external) and cycling essential nutrients back into the soil in the form of ash. Periodic burning can also remove invasive species(link is external) that are not adapted to fire. Fire can be used to restore degraded grasslands(link is external). Letting natural fires (such as lightning-ignited ones) burn is often not practical, so most burning is conducted in a controlled manner(link is external). There are options for landowners who wish to do a controlled burn, including working with conservation organizations, such as the Nature Conservancy(link is external), that have experience in the field. Ranchers can collaborate on implementing fires, such as a group in the Flint Hills of Nebraska(link is external). Controlled fire is a tradition of Indigenous knowledge(link is external) in many regions. Here(link is external) is a resource guide to grassland burning (see Fire Ecology Nexus).

Employ conservation technology to monitor wildlife and help improve connectivity between different parcels of land. Land fragmentation and climate change pose challenges to the ability of plants and animals to adapt to changing conditions, particularly along established wildlife migration corridors. Technology, including camera traps, drone surveys, DNA analysis, and data tools, can help wildlife avoid poaching and mitigate conflicts with livestock (see Wildlife Corridors Nexus).

Restore degraded grasslands. Soil erosion, overgrazing by livestock, invasive and noxious species, extended drought, and extreme weather events are sources of grassland and savannah land degradation (see Desertification Nexus). Practices that heal degraded areas include controlled burning, improved livestock grazing, seeding native plants species, as well as riparian(link is external) and stream restoration(link is external) strategies that can repair damaged water cycles and stop soil erosion (see Degraded Land Restoration Nexus and Rewilding Nexus).

Plant prairie strips as a low-cost conservation practice with multiple benefits. In the U.S., a prairie strip(link is external) is a narrow band of vegetation placed on a farm(link is external) to act as a sponge for water moving downhill, buffering the soil against erosion and reducing the amount of fertilizer that enters waterways. Prairie strips are seeded with a mixture of native grasses and other perennial prairie plants. The captured sediment improves soil health, which boosts plant growth, sending roots deeper into the soil and enabling additional carbon to be sequestered(link is external) underground. Prairie strips increase the number of grassland bird species(link is external) and enlarge populations of beneficial insects(link is external)butterflies, bees, and other pollinators(link is external).

Companies

Remove the destruction of grasslands and savannahs and their wildlife from your supply chain. The conversion of grasslands to soy and corn production continues around the world, especially parts of the Amazon Basin(link is external) and Brazil’s Cerrado(link is external) savannahs (see Regenerative Agriculture Nexus). Corporations can protect these ecosystems from further loss by refusing to buy agricultural products from companies that destroy grasslands.

Use onsets to achieve carbon emission reduction goals focused on credible land protection and restoration projects that improve soil carbon in grasslands and savannahs. Onsets are carbon credits(link is external) that create a net reduction in greenhouse gases. Organizations such as Gold Standard(link is external) and ClimeCo(link is external) provide verified onsets via their financial support of projects that improve carbon levels in the soil through regenerative agriculture and reforestation. For more information, see Onsets Nexus.

Make a donation and/or partner with a conservation organization to protect and restore grasslands, savannahs, and their wildlife. Apple Inc. is partnering with Conservation International to restore degraded grasslands in the Chyulu Hills of Kenya(link is external) in order to sequester carbon dioxide in soils, protect a wildlife corridor for elephants, and support local Maasai cattle herders (see Pastoralism Nexus(link is external)).

Support ecotourism companies and other economic development projects as opportunities for private investment. In Mozambique, a private investment firm has worked to restore and fund a wildlife reserve with private capital(link is external) using a business model that sees financial returns from ecotourism. Care, however, must be taken to honor local economic and cultural concerns. Other efforts are being explored to move beyond ecotourism to achieve conservation goals using private funding, including pilot projects being developed(link is external) by the African Leadership University in South Africa.

Governance

Support Indigenous groups and their rights. Many grasslands and savannahs historically were home to an Indigenous tribe or group who were dispossessed of the land by theft, treaty, or forced displacement. There is a growing movement(link is external) to reacquire stolen land, called Landback(link is external). Many of these lands are publicly owned, which means lawmakers need to hear from citizens. For example, over a century after the land was taken from them, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana recovered the 18,000-acre National Bison Range(link is external) by an act of Congress in 2020. Among many Indigenous groups that hold title to grasslands, there is a movement to reintroduce native species, such as bison(link is external). The Lakota people have been leading an effort to return bison to their reservation in South Dakota(link is external). Cooperation between agencies and tribes is key to a successful reintroduction, such as the Wood Bison effort in Alaska(link is external). Nature Conservancy Canada created a Prairie Grasslands Action Plan(link is external) in collaboration with Indigenous nations, industry, and government to deliver solutions.

Support incentive policies for landowners to continue to steward grasslands on their property. Support public and private incentives for grassland conservation and restoration. Help develop unified messaging and a shared vision for grassland protection and restoration. An example is the Edwards Plateau and Oaks and Prairies Bird Conservation Regions in Oklahoma and Texas(link is external).

Encourage land management agencies to enter into partnerships with universities, NGOs, landowners, and private businesses to facilitate restoration work. Multistakeholder alliances are often enhanced with governmental partnerships, such as has happened in Canada(link is external). These partnerships are often the result of public pressure campaigns.

Learn

Watch

Land Degradation(link is external) by MDCI Kenya (20 mins.)

Habitat Restoration Fundamentals(link is external) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (79 mins.)

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