Grassland Facts

Grasslands Provide Resilience in a Changing World

Healthy, functioning grasslands are essential for human well-being providing benefits that extend to local, regional, and global communities.

Food and Agriculture: Humans owe the development of our civilization to grasslands, which are the source of species that are staples in our diet, and enabled the development of agriculture and domestication of livestock.

• Grasslands are the source of species that are staples in our diet (including wheat, barley, corn, and sugarcane). 
• Grasslands feed the grazing animals we depend on for meat, milk, wool, and leather. 

Pasturage: Many of California’s native grasses are considered excellent forage and continued to be so after reportedly over 100 years of grazing use.

• Well-managed grazing can help maintain native grass populations in California grasslands.
• Native grasses offer a long, green forage season.
• About 88% of California grasslands are privately owned (Jantz et al. 2007:301).

Carbon Storage: Grasses have an enormous capacity for carbon storage. Grasslands remove more carbon from the atmosphere than any other ecosystem in America.

• Perennial grasses can renew 50% of their root mass each year, that's carbon stored underground! 
• Grasslands can store more carbon for longer periods of time than forest ecosystems because they are less impacted by drought and wildfires. When a grassland burns, most of the carbon is stored safely below-ground in roots and in accumulated soil organic matter where it is less likely to be burned and released to the atmosphere. 

Research Article: Grasslands more reliable carbon sink than trees.Dass, Pawlok, Benjanim Z Houlton, Yingping Want and David Warlind. 2018. Environmental Research Letters, Volume 13, Number 7. Link to PDF 

Biodiversity: California’s relatively intact grasslands are reservoirs of biodiversity. Grassland birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, pollinators and other animals depend on the resources these plants and spaces provide.

• Native grasslands support about 40% of California's total native plant species (Wigand 2007:55).
• Over 300 species of native grasses are found in California. Grasses are an integral part of diverse habitats, ranging from cool, wet forests to hot, dry deserts.
  
• An astounding 90% of California's rare and endangered plant species reside in grasslands (Skinner & Pavlik, 1994; Eviner, 2016).  
  
•  Over 70 grassland-associated species are listed by the state & federal Endangered Species Acts: 14 vertebrates and 59 plants, and 14 invertebrates, including 6 butterfly species. This count does not include unlisted native pollinators and other plants and animals experiencing sharp declines.

Habitat: Grasslands are essential open habitats that provide necessary food and shelter for many birds, insects, and animals.

•  "Old-growth" grasslands are ancient ecosystems characterized by high herbaceous species richness, high endemism, and unique species compositions. 

  Veldman JW et al. 2015. “Toward an old-growth concept for grasslands, savannas, and woodlands.” Front Ecol Environ 13(3): 154-162,  doi:10.1890/140270

• The decline in native grasses and grasslands in the last two centuries has been caused by intensive cultivation, poorly managed grazing, urbanization, fire suppression, and the introduction of invasive, nonnative species.

• Agriculture, invasion by exotic species, development, and other human-related activities have reduced California native grasslands by 99%.

Aesthetics and Recreation: Grasslands provide sweeping views, gorgeous wildflower displays, and wonderful hiking opportunities.

• CNPS Where to See Wildflowers - A guide to spring wildflower season in California. 
• Native grasses and other grassland plants planted in urban landscapes are low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, can filter polluted runoff, and provide habitat for pollinators and wildlife.