Great Plains Grasslands Biome

Abstract

The Great Plains of North America are home to some of the world’s largest remaining and most intact grasslands. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) team developed a science-based framework to provide the common vision and coordination necessary to address resource concerns and ecosystem threats across boundaries in the Great Plains. The framework helps guide and target Farm Bill conservation actions spanning multiple states and focal species from 2021-25 in addressing the two most severe and large-scale threats to the Great Plains biome: woodland expansion and land use conversion. This framework builds on past conservation efforts using a core area approach in addressing threats impacting Great Plains Grasslands accomplished through the Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative, Nebraska Sandhills conservation, and other NRCS Great Plains conservation. The WLFW Great Plains Grasslands framework for western rangeland shares the vision of achieving "Wildlife Conservation Through Sustainable Ranching," to benefit people, wildlife, and rural communities.