Grassland restoration

Grassland restoration assists the recovery of degraded or converted grassland ecosystems by rebuilding native vegetation, ecological processes, and habitat.

Ecological succession: The change in a community’s species composition and structure over time. Restoration often guides succession toward a diverse, self-sustaining grassland.
Prairie restoration: The recovery of prairie ecosystems through actions such as native planting and ecological disturbance. Prairie projects apply grassland-restoration methods to North American grasslands.
Tallgrass prairie: A North American prairie ecosystem characterized by tall grasses and frequent fire. Its extensive conversion to agriculture has made it a major focus of prairie restoration.
Ecological restoration: The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Grassland restoration is the ecosystem-specific application of this broader practice.
Prescribed burn: A deliberately set, controlled fire used to meet ecological or land-management objectives. Carefully timed fire can suppress woody plants and renew fire-adapted grassland vegetation.
Rangeland management: The stewardship of natural or semi-natural lands used for livestock grazing and other purposes. Restoration on working rangelands must accommodate production as well as ecological recovery.
Serengeti: A savanna ecosystem in Tanzania and Kenya known for large-scale wildlife migrations. Fire and grazing management in the Serengeti illustrate restoration questions in tropical grasslands.
Rewilding: An approach to conservation that gives natural processes and ecological dynamics greater scope to shape landscapes. Rewilding may prioritize self-directed change, while grassland restoration can target a defined historic community.
Grazing management: The planning of livestock access, timing, and intensity to manage rangeland vegetation and soils. Managed grazing can mimic disturbance while limiting the overuse that degrades grasslands.
Reforestation: The re-establishment of forest on land where tree cover has been removed or reduced. Grassland restoration reverses woody encroachment where open ecosystems, not forests, are the target.

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