What are grasslands and why do we need to protect them?

Grasslands cover approximately 54% of global land and are critical for biodiversity, food systems, and climate mitigation, storing about one-third of terrestrial carbon. However, they are among the most threatened biomes, primarily due to land conversion for cropland and woody encroachment. WWF implements conservation strategies in the North American Great Plains and the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) in southern Africa to support sustainable land management and wildlife coexistence.

• Grasslands are essential for climate mitigation as they store approximately one-third of the world's terrestrial carbon stocks, primarily below ground in roots and soils, with estimates suggesting these soils contain several hundred gigatons of carbon.
• The primary threat to grassland ecosystems is the conversion of land for cropland; more than 50% of major grasslands and savannas have already been converted globally, with the North American Great Plains losing over one million acres annually.
• Grasslands provide immense economic value, generating an estimated $20.8 trillion annually through livestock production and ecosystem services, and they comprise 80% of the world's agriculturally productive land.
• WWF's conservation efforts include the Sustainable Ranching Initiative (SRI) in the Great Plains to improve land management and the KAZA project in southern Africa, which spans Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to protect savanna elephants and reduce human-wildlife conflict.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). What are grasslands and why do we need to protect them? https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/what-are-grasslands-and-why-do-we-need-to-protect-them/

Chicago

WWF International. What are grasslands and why do we need to protect them? n.d. https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/what-are-grasslands-and-why-do-we-need-to-protect-them/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=What are grasslands and why do we need to protect them? |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/what-are-grasslands-and-why-do-we-need-to-protect-them/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndwhat, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{What are grasslands and why do we need to protect them?}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/what-are-grasslands-and-why-do-we-need-to-protect-them/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }