Grasslands

Grasslands cover about 30 percent of the

Issues Facing Grasslands Today:
Earth’s surface. The country of Africa
Today there are many problems facing
contains the largest area of grasslands,
grasslands but the most important ones
covering about 14.5 square kilometers.
In Africa 80% of the grasslands have been destroyed, but include the wild fires. Wild fires are
There are many animals that depend on this
as we continue to decrease the amount of grassland area we created mostly in the summer because
land to live, such as African elephants, lions,
have we don’t realize what were doing. In the grasslands the temperature gets so high that the
zebras, giraffes, black rhinos, prairie dogs,
Africa there are about 976 different species of animals 329 grass will catch on fire very easily. These
and more. The grasslands usually get
of which are found no where else on Earth. So as we are very dangerous because they spread
between 10 to 30 inches of rain a year. If it
continue to destroy the animals home they have no where through the dry grass quickly. The
got anymore it would become a forest. Any
else to go leaving them without a home. Also there is a large grasslands do not get much rain in the
less and it would slowly become a desert. So
economic importance for humans in the grasslands. We summer making these fires very hard to
there is a seasonal drought each year. The
depend on the grasslands to raise live stock for dairy control. Also the ground in a the area that
animals that live there are really only active
products and human consumption. Without the grasslands the grasslands live are being taken over
during rain season. The population of
we would have no where to raise most of the cattle and the by humans. This is because the soil is
animals that used thrive in African
other animals we depend on. really good for farming , such as the
grasslands has diminished. Many of the
growing of corn. If these area’s continue
animals have had to find new homes. There
to be taken away the grasslands will
are also the central grasslands in North
slowly diminish on the Earth. As you can
America. The animals that typically live
tell from the middle section of text this is
there are prairie dogs, elks, buffalo (until the
not a good thing because economically
population died down), bison, and owls.
we need these area’s. Also there are
The animal populations in about all
many advantages of keeping the
grasslands have been slowly decreasing over
grasslands which you will read about on
the years, but now the amount of animals
the next page.
living in the grasslands is decreasing at a
higher rate. Some are afraid that the
precious animals that live there will soon
become extinct.
 Grasslands
Continued.
What will happen if we continue to
take advantage of grasslands?
If you think about it the grasslands have
done so much to help us. Without them our
Advantages of having grasslands: If we keep the air would not be as clean as it is now. This
grasslands around instead of destroying them we will have will make our air even more polluted. They
cleaner air. With all the other pollution in the world we have also provided a place for out cattle to
need some source of clean air. A study done in the United eat and live. We will also have no place to
States shows that the grasslands in Central America store raise the essential animals we need. The
more carbon then the forests in that area. Meaning this grasslands serve as a place to prevent run
particular grassland has a counter effect on pollution. off so without them we will have many
Grasslands are also very good at absorbing water. This other bad things in our water, polluting it
would reduce run off, which would reduce the amount of even more then it already is. So in 20 years
pollution in our water. if we keep destroying or using our
There are also many grassland products. These include grasslands in inappropriate ways then all of
wheat, oats, barley, maize, sugar, and sorghum. As you the things listed above will slowly begin to
can see there are many advantages to keeping grasslands happen.
around. We need to do more to save our grasslands.
Africa, the country with the most grasslands in the entire
world is currently only preserving 2% of their grasslands
when this biome covers about 80% of the whole
continent . So as far as preserving goes we as the only
species that can save the grasslands are not going a good There are many
job. things that have been effected in the
grasslands because of the issues discussed
above but the two that I would count as the most
significant ones would be the decreasing amount of
animals and the continuous destruction of vital plants.
Since the grassland area has been taken over by people
the animals and the plants are having issues surviving in
the harsh conditions they are put under. The animals are
practically forced off of their own land. Some of
these animals do not know how to survive without
the grasslands. There are also important
plants that depend on the grasslands to
live.
Grasslands. MBG, 2007. Web. 09 Dec. 2009. <http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/index.htm>.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IUSaTgWqqUA/RvhmxuNs9fI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/OszK1TKunLI/s400/buffalo.jpg

http://www.southdacola.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/prairie-dog.jpg

http://www.hainaultforest.co.uk/Lady%27sSmockinGrassland.JPG

The Grassland Biome. Web. 09 Dec. 2009. <issues:http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/grass.htm>.