New data released by the World Wildlife Fund shows that 1.6 million acres of grassland habitat was lost throughout the Great Plains in 2021.
The Great Plains is one of the last intact grassland ecosystems in the world, but 32 million acres have been plowed for crop expansion since 2012, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Clay Bolt, with WWF, said losing this habitat negatively affects wildlife and native plant species. He said it also releases carbon and exacerbates drought.
“Grasslands store a tremendous amount of water, whereas if a grassland is plowed up, you can imagine millions of gallons of water leaving the soil running off,” Bolt said.
The report also shows 117,000 acres of Montana’s grasslands were dug up for wheat and other grains in 2021.
Bolt said programs like WWF’s sustainable ranching program and federal incentives that pay producers to use regenerative ag practices are imperative for keeping grasslands intact.
He also points to new legislation introduced in 2022, the North American Grasslands Conservation Act. If passed, it could further support farmers looking to implement regenerative grazing practices and plant native seed crops.
