This article was written by Leonie Meier, Global Lead Ecosystem Restoration and Grasslands & Savannahs, WWF International.

We often think of forests as the lungs of the planet—but what about grasslands? These vast, open ecosystems cover 40% of the planet’s land surface, yet they’re disappearing silently, degraded at some of the fastest rates of any biome. And the consequences are bigger than most of us realize.

Grasslands and savannahs support millions of people, store carbon, soak up water like sponges, and sustain incredible biodiversity. But less than 10% are protected. Mismanagement, land conversion, and misguided restoration attempts—like planting forests where grasslands should be—are putting them at risk.
This isn’t just an environmental issue. It’s a global crisis hidden in plain sight.

Why You Should Care

In times of prolonged drought, soil degradation, and growing food insecurity, we need healthy, stable ecosystems more than ever. Grasslands and savannahs provide critical services:

• Food and livelihoods for pastoralists, farmers, and Indigenous peoples
• Carbon storage (25–35% of terrestrial carbon is in grasslands)
• Water regulation, erosion control, and pollination
• Cultural value—from the gauchos of South America to the herders of Central Asia

Yet, because they look “empty,” they’re often seen as wasted space, ripe for development or afforestation. That misunderstanding is proving costly.

The Trouble Beneath Our Feet

Over half of the world’s grasslands have already been lost to agriculture, extractive industries, and infrastructure. And while forest restoration gets most of the headlines, afforestation of grasslands—planting trees in places where they don’t belong—can actually harm biodiversity and carbon storage.
Grasslands and savannahs are not "failed forests." They’re finely tuned ecosystems that evolved with fire, large herbivores, and seasonal droughts. Disrupting that balance—by removing grazers, misusing fire, or suppressing disturbance—leads to scrub encroachment and ecosystem collapse.

Can We Fix It?

Yes—but it’s not simple, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Grassland restoration can take decades and is often more complex than forest regrowth. Restoration generally falls into two categories:

1. Assisted natural regeneration: removing stressors (like overgrazing or invasive species) to let nature bounce back.
2. Active interventions: reseeding native grasses, reintroducing species, managing fire and grazing.

Successful projects work with the landscape, not against it.

What Real Restoration Looks Like

Here are just a few inspiring, on-the-ground efforts happening around the world:

• Indigenous-led fire in Australia’s Kimberley: The Right-Way Fire project revives traditional fire stewardship, helping restore the northern savanna while opening opportunities in the new Nature Repair Market.
• Bison return to the Great Plains: In the U.S., WWF and tribal nations are re-establishing culturally and ecologically important bison herds across 120,000 hectares—restoring land and traditions.
• Floodplain meadows in Hungary and wildflowers in the UK: Local communities and WWF are restoring biodiverse meadows and pastures that boost biodiversity and store carbon—reviving traditional grazing practices and regulating floods.
• Grassland revival in Argentina’s Pampa: With over 80% of native grasslands gone, restoration projects now convert pesticide-damaged farmland back to native habitat—reintroducing species like the viscacha and creating corridors for wildlife.
• Pantanal Headwaters, Brazil: In the Cerrado—the world’s most biodiverse savannah—WWF and partners are aligning restoration with responsible production. The initiative creates restoration plans, strengthens native seed networks, and restores riparian areas to reconnect landscapes and protect water sources in the headwaters of the Pantanal. 

Watch more grassland restoration examples:

A whole community approach to restoring degraded pastures in Peru

Restoring degraded land for silvopastoral systems in Argentina

These examples highlight one big truth: restoration must be flexible, locally rooted, and context-specific.

Why Now?

We’re halfway through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and land degradation is accelerating. According to the UN, some of the most damaging droughts in recorded history have occurred since 2023—fuelled by climate change and poor land management.
If we don’t act now, we risk losing not just ecosystems, but cultural heritage, livelihoods, and a critical line of defence against climate extremes.

What You Can Do (Even If You Don’t Own Land)

You don’t have to be a rancher or ecologist to support grassland restoration. Here’s how to get involved:

• Join the Ecosystem Restoration Hub to find out about restoration initiatives
• Learn from experts by joining the Global Grasslands and Savannahs Dialogue Platform
• Follow and engage with us on LinkedIn
• Share stories to raise awareness—most people don’t even realize grasslands and savannahs are under threat
• Advocate for policies that prioritize ecosystem protection and sustainable land use

The Bottom Line

Stopping land conversion is just the start. Protecting and restoring grasslands requires finding the right trade-offs—between biodiversity and agriculture, between conservation and livelihoods.

Sometimes, the best restoration tool is traditional pastoralism itself—like transhumance routes that preserve ecological connectivity. Other times, it’s innovative policy, fire management, or rewilding species long erased from the land.

None of these solutions are enough on their own. But together, they point to a future where grasslands hum with life again—where dust turns to green, and silence gives way to the sound of birds, wind, and the soft rustle of wild grasses and colourful wildflowers.