Covering nearly one-third of the nation’s land — including the Great Plains, Midwest, and Southern Prairies — these expansive ecosystems play an essential role in maintaining environmental balance, supporting plant and animal life, and sustaining regional economies. 

Grasslands store up to 30% of the world’s soil-based carbon. They provide essential food, shelter and migration corridors for wildlife – such as bison, pronghorn and over 400 species of birds. They are vital for the survival of all forms of life on which they depend. Protecting their deep, resilient root systems nurtures the land, protects integral water systems, and helps to ensure long-term ecological balance.

Today, these lands are rapidly disappearing. An estimated 70% of America’s grasslands have been lost to sprawling urban development, unbalanced agricultural practices, and the hard-hitting impacts of a globally changing climate. These threats leave some of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the United States at risk. Most of this loss is located within our central grasslands, also known as The Great Plains.

At The Conservation Fund, we’re on a mission to protect America’s grasslands. For nearly 40 years, we’ve partnered with ranchers, farmers, and locals from Montana to Texas to conserve working lands, develop strong networks, and preserve these essential landscapes. Now we’re setting our sights even higher: working to safeguard 1 million acres of our nation’s most valuable grasslands by 2035.