Saving Our Grasslands - Why They Matter, Why We Are Losing Them, and How We Can Save Them

Grasslands are critical THE TIDE ON GRASSLAND for biodiversity and nature; hold approximately one- CONVERSION? third of global terrestrial carbon stocks; and provide critical resilience in the face of climate change, includ- Amend the Renewable Fuel ing drought, heat, and wildfire. [...] They are also essential 1 Standard to the livelihoods and food security of communities around the world—and a source of goods and services Given the impacts of the RFS on land use conversion such as wild food, energy, and wildlife habitat. [...] to date, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should require validation that lands were in cultivation Grasslands are some of the most threatened and yet prior to 2007 to qualify for the program. [...] Finally, to drive further sustainability improve- acres of grassland habitat in the Great Plains in 2020 ments, EPA should follow the lead of the US-supported and 10 million acres between 2016 and 2020—acres sustainability requirements under the United Nations’ plowed primarily for row crop agriculture. [...] In the case of the RFS, increased more in tracking conversion and should direct the demand for biofuels crops (such as corn and soybeans) US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to report intact combined with the lack of effective implementation of grassland conversion data to Congress and the public the original law’s provisions to prevent biofuels-driven annually, to enable analysis of the effects o.