Native grasslands probably don’t come to mind when you think of endangered ecosystems. You might think more along the lines of rainforests and the coral reef. While these ecosystems are of course worth our attention – native prairie lands need to be acknowledged and known as the most endangered ecosystems on the planet with only a small percentage remaining. These ecosystems may not get a lot of recognition because they don’t take our breath away like a magnificent old growth tree or capture the eye like a colorful coral reef. After all it’s just grass right? But when we zoom in closer, we find that these ecosystems are teaming with life.
Within those prairies of grass lie an array of biodiversity both above and below ground. Grasslands have 90% of their biomass below ground in vast root systems that can span 15ft deep! This biomass greatly contributes to the many important functions. For one, it allows the absorption and storage of billions of tonnes of carbon which would greatly counter climate change. They also catch and filter valuable water resources - storing water and preventing run-off which mitigates both floods and droughts. Above ground, these ecosystems host an impressive amount of wildlife who have adapted to rely on these native grasses and plants for survival. They are the home to ruminant grazers, small mammals, birds, insects and pollinators. Each species has an ecosystem service that plays a vital role in keeping the whole system flowing and healthy. Sadly, many of them are endangered and bordering extinction. The vegetation feeds the wildlife, the ruminants keep the grasses thriving, the birds spread the seed and are on pest control, the insects maintain healthy soil, recycle nutrients and pollinate, and the soil stores carbon, retains water and supports life! But none of this without each moving part in place! It’s a closed loop system where nature takes care of itself.
In a lot of ways, the extinction of native prairie lands can feel overwhelming and out of our control. There are a lot of amazing organizations leading restoration projects to preserve and restore the little grassland that we have left. But you may be asking what am I even supposed to do about this? Well, this is where the importance of supporting small scale regenerative food growers comes in! There are many reasons for the decimation of our grasslands, but the top contributor is industrial agriculture. When we support our community’s ability to grow our own food - there becomes an increased demand for small scale regenerative farms, growing a movement towards environmental and economical resilience and restoration. If each community can support itself from the inside out – we can start to change policy. And for those larger centres, we do have the agricultural technology to regenerate the land with our farming practices, but we face more political barriers then one would imagine. At this point it is in the consumers hands to voice what we want and vote with our wallets. If there is a demand for a better way, then subsidies and politics will follow suit. We can work towards a better food system that restores native grasslands with holistic grazing methods, agroforestry, natural pest and weed management, restoring the water cycles and sequestering carbon.
There is room for all.
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