Today, U.S. Representatives Nancy Mace (R-SC), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Mike Thompson (D-CA) introduced the bipartisan North American Grasslands Conservation Act, which would accelerate the voluntary conservation and restoration of grasslands and sagebrush-steppe ecosystems - and the livelihoods and wildlife dependent upon them. The legislation is modeled after the successful North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) and would create a landowner-driven, voluntary, and incentive-based grant program to conserve American's critically imperiled grasslands. In response, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) issued the following statement from Alejandro Pérez, SVP of Policy & Government Affairs:
"The Great Plains grasslands have been home for generations to Native nations, ranchers, and wildlife species like the buffalo and the sage grouse. But the increased conversion of grasslands is threatening one of America's most critical ecosystems. Just 55 percent of Great Plains grasslands remain intact, according to WWF's latest Plowprint report.
"The North American Grasslands Conservation Act would help protect the prairie by providing much-needed funding for voluntary, incentive-based conservation. It would give Native nations and land stewards dedicated resources and strong representation to ensure grasslands are conserved and protected for years to come. This bipartisan investment in the health of America's grasslands is a major step forward to improve the sustainable management of productive farmland and protect the Great Plains for the next generations."
More than 45 organizations, including WWF, are collaborating in support of the North American Grasslands Conservation Act. A full roster of those groups can be found at www.ActforGrasslands.org.
