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North American native grasslands are disappearing.

Grasslands are incredible ecosystems that support bird populations, pollinators, working lands, carbon sequestration, opportunities for hunting and outdoor recreation, and water security. The loss of grasslands and the benefits they provide impacts rural communities and economies across the continent.

Musselshell Grasslands. Photo *© Dan Casey*

Northern Bobwhite. *Photo ©* Jim Giocomo

Over the last 40 years, North American grassland bird populations have declined faster than any other group of birds. Over three-quarters of grassland bird species have shown significant population declines.

Since 1970, North American grassland birds have lost 53% of their population.

While populations of birds that depend on wetland habitats have rebounded due to conservation efforts, other birds are declining at rapid rates, especially those that depend on grasslands (Data from Rosenberg, K. V., et al. 2019. Decline of the North American avifauna. Science 366: 120-124. Graphic by Miruh Hamend, Playa Lakes Joint Venture).

Migratory Bird Joint Ventures helped turn things around for wetland birds. Now we are applying that strategy to grassland birds.

Through the JV8 Central Grasslands Initiative (JV8), eight Migratory Bird Joint Ventures — representing over 100 federal, state, provincial, non-profit, and industry conservation partners across the U.S., Canada, Indigenous Nations, and Mexico — are collaborating to stem grassland losses and the negative impacts to migratory birds. JV8 is implementing grassland conservation programs across a landscape of 700 million acres and multiple nations to stabilize and in some cases recover grassland bird populations and their habitats.

Our Vision: By working together, we can create a world where the central grasslands from Canada to Mexico support stable, thriving, and diverse communities of birds, other wildlife, and people into the future.

Grasshopper Sparrow. Photo © Kevin Barnes

Resources

MAY 2024
A Business Plan to Recover North America’s Central Grasslands: Strategies, Funding, and Partnerships Needed to Save One of the World’s Most Endangered Ecosystems

The plan is a bold and ambitious blueprint to support and scale up grassland habitat collaboration with the Central Grasslands Roadmap, the biome-wide effort that is bringing together eight sectors with a shared vision, common principles, and collaborative priorities for the many people and organizations living and working on the Central Grasslands. JV8 and the Central Grasslands Roadmap have set a bold agenda for innovating new approaches and scaling investments to recover part of North America’s greatest grasslands. DOWNLOAD NOW.

JV8 Central Grasslands Conservation Initiative Implementation Strategy – 2021 to 2024

JV8 Landscape Synopsis

JV8 Conservation Actions

View the JV8 Story Map

Download the JV8 Flyer

Read the Great Plains Grassland Assessment