June 2, 2026

It’s been estimated that grasslands cover more than half of Earth’s total land area, making them one of Earth’s biggest (and most vital) ecosystems.

And in regions such as Ireland and New Zealand, grasslands dominate the agricultural landscape, covering 75% and 64% of the land respectively.

But what is it about grasslands that make them so vital?

From an agricultural perspective, grasslands support the production of high quality meat, milk and other animal by products. Grasslands also supply almost half of all feed consumed by farm animals!

The indispensability of grasslands and the challenges they face is the focus of a new book published by multi-award winning publisher, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.

Advances in temperate grassland science and management highlights the critical role grasslands play in supporting the transition to more resilient, sustainable and circular agricultural systems.

“This book will be an excellent resource for both academics and practitioners and the case studies will make it applicable for farmers,” says Professor S. Ray Smith, University of Kentucky, USA.

“I am confident it will be a standard reference for grassland scientists around the globe as we address increasing management complexity, climate change, competition for grassland resources and other emerging issues,” he adds.

In addition to boosting agricultural productivity, grasslands also play a critical role in biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and human health.

Perhaps the most important attribute of grasslands is their ability to act as carbon sinks – a point emphasised by the fact that grasslands store approximately one third of the global terrestrial carbon stocks.

And although grasslands store less carbon per hectare than forests, they’re generally considered to be more reliable and resilient in the face of climate change related weather events.

For example, extreme weather events such as wildfires pose a huge threat to our above-ground carbon sinks.

“In the event of a wildfire, any previously stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere as the trees and woody biomass burn,” says Francis Dodds, Editorial Director at Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.

“If this fire was to spread to nearby grasslands, the risk of losing banked carbon is significantly less as grasslands store the majority of their carbon below ground in extensive root systems and soil where the fire can’t reach,” he adds.

Although in this particular scenario grasslands are recognised as a tool for mitigating the effects a warming climate, it’s key to note that they’re still extremely vulnerable to climate change.

For example, a combination of rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and extreme weather events are altering grass growth patterns, reducing not only the productivity of grasslands ecosystems, but also their resilience.