Improving grasslands for wildlife, cattle and carbon

Conserving and enhancing natural habitats remains one of the most immediate and cost-effective methods to offset CO2 emissions that contribute to global climate change.

Weighing conservation costs versus carbon benefits can be tricky — much is still being learned about the most effective practices. One thing is certain, though — you can’t go wrong with grasslands.

Healthy, intact grasslands capture tremendous amounts of carbon, relative to other habitat types, and store it below ground in deep-running and long-lasting root systems. When these grasslands are tilled to make way for crops or removed due to commercial development, those critical ecological services are lost, often permanently.

Watch: Sequestering carbon will help us to mitigate climate change and secure the future for wildlife and future generations

“The tallgrass prairie is one of the most altered and endangered ecosystems in North America, and perhaps the world,” said Brad Loveless, secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, which is working with stakeholders to conserve the state’s grasslands. “It is home to many species that are in decline, including high-profile species like greater prairie-chicken, bobwhite quail and monarch butterflies, but also lesser-known species such as the regal fritillary butterfly and Henslow’s sparrow.”

In 2022, NFWF awarded a grant of nearly $500,000 to the Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition to conserve and enhance these dwindling grasslands by working with ranchers to plant native grasses, control invasive species, improve grazing practices and apply prescribed fire. Invasive vegetation such as eastern red cedar and honey locust out-compete native grasses and forbs, reducing forage for livestock and heightening the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

These efforts are designed to strengthen the ability of more than 16,500 acres of grassland to sequester and store carbon.

This grant was one of hundreds awarded by NFWF in 2022 that will help ranchers and farmers improve their operations and manage risk while at the same time protecting and enhancing habitats for wildlife.