Prioritize grassland restoration to bend the curve of biodiversity loss

In times of unprecedented climate change, ecological restoration efforts have a strong focus on forests for the purpose of carbon sequestration. Grasslands, in contrast, remain relatively neglected in global restoration policies. Concurrently, we are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis-it is estimated that 1 million species are globally threatened with extinction. Here, we present analyses from central Europe and southern Brazil that show that the majority of our endangered plant species are in fact found in open ecosystems. Using Germany as an example, we show that we could reduce plant extinction risk by up to 82% if we restore open, grassy ecosystems. This also holds true for southern Brazil, where grassland species constitute the single largest share of endangered species, but where grassy ecosystems continue to be systematically neglected by restoration policies. We further expand on our biodiversity argument to include the role that grassland restoration can play in mitigating climate change. We posit that ramping up grassland restoration efforts may not only be our best bet to bend the curve of biodiversity loss, but it will also make a critical contribution to the resilience of ecosystems in the dynamic decades to come. It is time for grassland restoration to receive higher priority in global restoration efforts and policy.

Automated summary

In the era of unprecedented climate change, ecological restoration efforts primarily focus on forests for carbon sequestration, while grasslands are comparatively overlooked in global restoration policies. However, analyses from central Europe and southern Brazil reveal that a majority of endangered plant species are actually found in open ecosystems. By restoring open, grassy ecosystems, plant extinction risk could be reduced by up to 82%. Moreover, ramping up grassland restoration efforts not only bends the curve of biodiversity loss, but also contributes to the resilience of ecosystems and mitigates climate change impacts.