When it comes to threatened habitats, tropical forests or coral reefs are among the most prominent. But grasslands are also threatened worldwide and their degradation is progressing rapidly, as researchers are now warning. Almost half of the grassland areas are already damaged or disturbed. This is not only a threat to the diversity of species in these habitats, but also to humans, who are highly dependent on the ecological services of these habitats.
Whether pasture, alpine meadow, steppe or savanna – grasslands cover more than 40 percent of the global land surface and make up 69 percent of the agriculturally used areas. “Grasslands are an important global reservoir of biodiversity and habitat for many iconic and endemic species,” said Richard Bardgett of the University of Manchester and his colleagues. “At the same time, grasslands provide us humans with a wide range of material and immaterial benefits.” Grasslands are important for food production and water storage, but they also play a role in the earth’s climate system and carbon cycle.
Partly drastic degradation
Despite this global importance, the grasslands are also threatened. Above all, the overuse by humans and their livestock as well as changes in land use have resulted in an average of 49 percent of all grasslands being degraded today. For natural habitats of this type such as steppes or highland meadows, however, the values are even higher: “Estimates assume that up to 90 percent of the grassland on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau has been degraded at least to a certain extent by climate change and human influence.” the researchers explain. 60 percent of the pampas in southern Brazil have already been lost due to changes in land use.
In Europe, too, the semi-natural grasslands in particular are affected by this degradation. In Great Britain alone, scientists estimate 90 percent of these habitats to be degraded. “Our few remaining species-rich grasslands are threatened by construction projects, intensive agriculture, environmental pollution and afforestation,” explains co-author Peter Manning from the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center in Frankfurt. In contrast to prominent systems such as the oceans, tropical forests or rivers, the decline of the grasslands often goes unnoticed or ignored.
Suggestions for countermeasures
If no measures are taken to halt the degradation of grasslands and encourage their renaturation, the future of these ecosystems looks bleak, the research team warns. “The degradation of grassland is a major global challenge that we have to overcome if we are to meet the central goals of the biodiversity agendas such as the Aichi goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) or the United States’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Want to reach nations, ”says Bardgett. He and his colleagues demand that grasslands and the services they provide should be given the same status as forests in sustainability policy.
The team proposes a number of strategies to stop the global destruction of grasslands and encourage their restoration. These include the increased recognition of grassland in global politics, the development of standardized indicators for degradation and the use of scientific innovations for effective renaturation at regional and natural level. In addition, it is important to improve the transfer of knowledge and the exchange of data regarding experience with renaturation measures. “Put simply, if grasslands are to be managed sustainably, both global and regional policies must be rethought to recognize the value of grasslands for various ecosystem services and to set goals for their protection, restoration and sustainable management.”
The scientists hope their recommendations will help grassland protection play a bigger role at the upcoming COP 15 conference in October. “We would like our study to raise awareness of the global grassland crisis and the acute need for measures to prevent grassland degradation and for more successful renaturation. This is the only way to maintain the numerous useful services offered by grasslands for humans and animals, ”Manning sums up.
Source: Senckenberg Research Institute and Nature Museums; Technical article: Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, doi: 10.1038 / s43017-021-00207-2