Back to the Future: Achieving Resilient, Sustainable Grasslands through Restoration of Ecological Norms / Overview – the Problem, the Opportunity

Back to the Future: Achieving Resilient, Sustainable Grasslands through Restoration of Ecological Norms / Overview – the Problem, the Opportunity

Grasslands are one of the largest biomes on earth, are the largest agricultural enterprise in the U.S., serve as a major carbon pool, produce high quality dietary proteins, and host a rich biodiversity. However, grasslands, including those of the eastern U.S., have been heavily altered and degraded reducing their resiliency and negatively impacting native fauna. Recent scientific advances in grassland establishment and management, along with the opportunity to monetize the carbon benefits of native grasslands, could provide the needed social and economic support to make such restoration possible on a large scale. Where restored grassland communities align with historical, ecological norms of the region, improved resiliency, sustainability, as well as viability of native biota can all be achieved. Such an approach, based on adapted native grasses and focused on the principles of working lands conservation, can be a template for grasslands restoration globally.