Did you know that Grasslands are crucial to global food security, rangeland economies, carbon storage, and a variety of ecosystem services? Did you know that 31-43% of global lands are grasslands?
A Management Priorities Working Group (MPWG) comprised of 11 individuals was tasked with identifying and reviewing the management related documents in order to:
1) Synthesize grassland management goals and challenges.
2) Identify questions and information needed to allow grassland managers to meet their goals within the context of climate change.
The group collected and reviewed documents relevant to the grassland management of the Bureau of Land Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Park Service; U.S. Forest Service; Natural Resources Conservation Service; Farm Service Agency; Bureau of Indian Affairs; Colorado Parks and Wildlife; Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks; Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks; Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; North Dakota Game and Fish; South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks; Wyoming Game and Fish Department; The Nature Conservancy; and Migratory Bird Joint Ventures. The region also includes 32 federally recognized tribal nations, and although special effort was made to collect tribal management plans, the MPWG was unable to identify any that were publicly available. In total, they reviewed 183 grassland-relevant management documents and identified 70 key research questions along with a variety of common themes that are used to inform and guide grassland managers, conservation practitioners and environmental policymakers in the northern Great Plains region.
Out of the 70 questions, 15 thematic questions emerged:
- Where are grasslands most likely to be lost to other land uses?
- What are best practices for grassland restoration in a changing climate?
- How will climate change affect disturbance regimes?
- How will climate change impact woody encroachment?
- How will climate change impact herbaceous invasives?
- How will climate change impact grazing?
- How will climate change impact water quality, quantity, and availability?
- How will climate change affect animal species of conservation concern?
- How can conservation on private grasslands be achieved?
- How can public understanding of grasslands and their importance increase?
- What legal and policy changes can support grassland resilience to climate change?
- How can grassland protection, enhancement, maintenance, and reconstruction be economically incentivized?
- How can grassland management be strategically coordinated across agencies, organizations, jurisdictions, and borders?
- How can the accessibility of relevant science and tools be improved?
- What novel ways of thinking are needed to successfully manage grasslands amidst climate change?
By addressing these types of focused questions that are lacking research, grassland managers, conservation practitioners, and environmental policymakers will be able to progress conservation of North Central grasslands in an ever changing climate sensitive to extreme fluctuations.
For more information, be sure to read the full publication – Seventy questions of importance to the conservation of north central grasslands of the United States
Miller Hesed, C.D. et al. “Seventy questions of importance to the conservation of the North Central grasslands of the United States in a changing climate.” Conservation Science and Practice, Volume 5, Issue 9 (2023.)