The Central Grasslands Roadmap
Guiding us toward resilient & sustainable grasslands & human communities
Updates
Canada Policy Webinar: Please join Birds Canada and the Central Grasslands Roadmap for a webinar on April 24 at 1 pm-2:30 EST to explore the pivotal role of policy in halting grassland loss. You will be the first to see the new policy paper, Stemming the Loss of Grasslands in Canada: A Scan of Policy Solutions.
Central Grasslands Assessment Map 3.0 with Further Explanation and Map data (CGR DataShare V2)
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Updated Tools and Resources
The Central Grasslands Roadmap and its myriad of partners are constantly publishing and producing informative resources. These tools provide the necessary foundation for Biome-wide collaboration and conservation. Several are published in the Roadmap Toolkits, here are a few recent releases:
GUIDING CONSERVATION
The Central Grasslands Roadmap is a collaborative guide to increase conservation of North America's Central Grasslands, which span 700 million acres across Indigenous Lands, Canada, the United States and Mexico.
By bringing together diverse nations and seven sectors, the Roadmap identifies a shared vision, common principles, and collaborative priorities for the many people and organizations living and working on the Central Grasslands.
INSPIRING COLLABORATION
By working together, we can achieve our shared vision. Roadmap Partners from Canada, Mexico, the U.S. and Indigenous/First Nations Include:
Ranching and Agriculture
Foundations & Funders
Industry Partners
NGOs & Conservation Organizations
Academia
Federal agencies
State and Provincial Agencies
ELEVATING GRASSLANDS
As one of North America's largest and most vital ecosystems, the Central Grasslands provide critical support for agriculture, food security, rural communities and the economy, through key environmental functions including water supply, soil health, climate resiliency, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. The Grasslands need attention and resources.
TAKING ACTION
When grasslands disappear, so do the benefits they provide. More than 50 million acres of grassland have been lost in the last 10 years. Measures of human community health and healthy grassland ecosystems across the biome continue to decline. The time to act is now.
MAKING COLLECTIVE IMPACT
We must think, collaborate, and act differently. That starts with us working together, agreeing to collaborative principles and shared research priorities, and determining which strategies are the most critical to save our grasslands over the next ten years and achieve our shared vision ...
OUR SHARED GRASSLANDS VISION
Thriving Indigenous and rural communities and economies
Flourishing ecosystems of soil, plants, and wildlife
Working land with healthy grazing populations
Millions of acres of resilient and connected habitat
Dynamic and multi-faceted approaches to sustainable grasslands management
Policies and extensive investments to support grasslands conservation and local expertise
International recognition for grasslands commitments
Sustainable agriculture and energy development
Rivers and wetlands supporting habitat, aquifers, production, and people
To Learn More …
VIEW SPATIAL LAYERS
The initial Central Grasslands Assessment Map and Further Explanation
The data for this map can be found here: CGR DataShare V2 (public)
Other Roadmap partners are also producing important spatial assessments and resources which we share in a larger toolkit.
We also recommend additional visual layers available from Roadmap partners, including:
The Grasslands Sagebrush Conservation Portal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The Joint Ventures Grassland Assessment, and
The World Wildlife Fund’s 2022 Annual Plowprint Report .
READ THE ROADMAP
Download:
The complete Central Grasslands Roadmap here
Additionally, the Roadmap Appendices contain:
Detailed information and iterative concepts for tracking goals
Concepts for a forthcoming Scorecard
Definitions of shared language
Further explanations about the Roadmap process