The Importance of the Habitat or Region of Grasslands

Habitat

• Grasslands provide a home for a variety of plant and animal species, including many types of grasses, wildflowers, insects, birds, rodents and large herbivores such as wild horses, kangaroos and rhinos. Grasslands can be the primary or only habitat of threatened or endangered species, making them important sites of ecological diversity. For instance, in British Columbia, more than 30 percent of the province's at-risk species live in grasslands.

Culture

• Grasslands are valued culturally by some people, such as the First Nations people of British Columbia. Their territory includes grasslands, and they use the habitat for traditional activities such as hunting and ranching. Grasslands can also be a source of plants with medicinal or traditional value, making them important culturally. Grasslands can also contain sites of archaeological significance.

Economy

• Grasslands are important to the livestock industry, as their flat, grassy expanses provide foraging areas for herds. Recreation and tourism also have their place on the prairie; grasslands provide an area for recreational activities such as fishing and hunting, and many people visit grasslands to view the wildlife. The real estate market has found grasslands to be aesthetically valuable, with land next to open areas such as grasslands commanding prices up to 32 percent higher than land not next to open areas.

Restoration

• Unfortunately, much grassland habitat has been lost due to agricultural conversion and other types of encroachment. Research is underway to restore converted grassland prairies to their original state. This is accomplished by removing any invasive or non-native plant species and replacing them with native species. The prairie must then be maintained, often through controlled burns that kill off shrubs and trees that, if allowed to grow on the grassland, might change it to a marginal forest habitat.