On April 11, a coalition of conservation organizations launched an interactive mapping tool that documents the loss of grasslands in North America. MapforGrasslands.org demonstrates the significant loss of America’s prairies, savannas, glades and sagebrush over a thirty-year period (1992-present). Fifteen individual species are also highlighted within the project, showcasing population declines in some of America’s iconic wildlife — including the northern bobwhite quail, monarch butterfly, and bobolink. Produced by Cornell Lab of Ornithology in collaboration with the coalition, the project is a valuable tool for legislators, hunters, and conservationists to better understand the habitat and species loss in their own backyards while empowering individuals to act.

“Grasslands across the U.S., and the species that call them home, are suffering dramatic losses. To deliver the message of grasslands in trouble and inspire action, we saw the need to show in one place all these losses, using the most authoritative evidence available,” said Wenfei Tong, a Science Editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “The value of this tool is that it summarizes published data to show the link between large-scale biodiversity declines and the loss of our native grasslands.”

The coalition built the website to help raise awareness of the need for legislation, such as the North American Grasslands Conservation Act (Grasslands Act), to help conserve and protect grasslands. The Grasslands Act is modeled upon the very successful North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to empower America’s landowners with voluntary conservation tools to help conserve these grasslands, prairies, savannas, and sage lands. This program would live within the U.S. Department of Interior and complement the Farm Bill programs within USDA. Like NAWCA, the coalition is seeking the Grasslands Act to be authorized at $60M annually, with an increase of $7.5M/year.