Grasslands

Canada’s native grassland habitats and their role in biodiversity.

Impact Area

Grasslands are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world.

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What is a grassland?

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Did you know that Canada’s grasslands are endangered ecosystems? Grasslands are vital hotspots of biodiversity, offering valuable ecosystem services. They provide wildlife habitat, store carbon, support large animal grazing, naturally control crop pests, facilitate pollination, reduce erosion and flooding, and offer medicines and foods. Grasslands and wetlands fit together in a beautiful mosaic to provide complementary habitat for hundreds of wildlife species—including species at risk.

We must prioritize grassland conservation to ensure they continue providing these benefits as well as the survival of grassland-dependent species.

Grassland resources for educators and students

Your students will explore these incredible ecosystems, how Indigenous Peoples farmed in the past and how we can look toward the future with sustainable agriculture.

Agriculture Programs & Resources

From delivering on-farm programs to consulting with one of our conservation specialists, we help you maximize your land’s potential.

What is a grassland?

The most endangered terrestrial ecosystem is found right here in Canada: temperate grasslands.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is important because it supports everything in nature that we need to survive and has a direct impact on our health and well-being.

85 Years of Conservation, biodiversity, Biodiversity, Grasslands, landowners, National, Pollinators, sustainable agriculture, Wetlands

Canadian farms produce more than food

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An estimated 74% of Canada's native grasslands have already been lost.

Why should we conserve grasslands?

Native grasslands appear tranquil—even empty—but their abundant biodiversity may surprise you. There are up to 100 plant species in two hectares (five acres) of prairie grassland. The tall plants shelter and feed the insects, birds, pollinators, reptiles and other wildlife that make up a healthy grassland ecosystem.

Their deep roots protect soil from erosion, stabilize slopes and enrich soil health. The roots also store carbon taken from the atmosphere, which can help mitigate climate change. They support songbird species at risk in Eastern Canada. They provide essential grazing land for cattle in Prairie Canada.

How much of Canada’s grasslands remain?

We are deeply concerned about the rapid loss of grasslands. An estimated 74% of Canada’s native grasslands have already been lost. Since 1970, more than half of Canada’s grassland birds have disappeared. Many waterfowl species successfully nest in grasslands but there may not be enough nesting habitat for the declining population of northern pintail ducks. The urgency to address this crisis cannot be overstated.

As a national conservation organization, Ducks Unlimited Canada recognize the critical role of temperate grasslands in maintaining ecosystem health. We’re working to conserve and restore native grasslands across Canada.

The Weston Family Prairie Grasslands Initiative has pledged $5 million (2021-2025) to DUC’s conservation easement program to protect these ecologically valuable and threatened ecosystems. © DUC

Taking Action

Our approach is rooted in collaboration and partnerships. Our restoration projects bring lost grasslands, wetlands and waterways back to life.

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Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef honoured with DUC’s 2023 Conservation Award of Distinction

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At DUC, we work closely with governments, universities, foundations and corporate partners to study the environmental and economic benefits of grasslands in Canada. Our research findings inform incentives and support programs such as resources to inform sustainable and wildlife-friendly practices like:

Retiring unproductive cropland
Forage programs
Habitat restoration

We offer conservation easements that compensate producers for their efforts to conserve wetlands or grasslands. Where grassland is already gone, DUC’s forage program supports seed costs for land returned to perennial cover. We also help landowners convert idled fields into new grassland through habitat offset programs. In Ontario, we offer habitat restoration solutions to offset loss of upland, wetland and aquatic habitats.

Programs for landowners

From delivering on-farm programs to consulting with one of our conservation specialists, we help you maximize your land’s potential.

Learn about our programs

A collaboration that conserves grasslands and wetlands within a magnificent working landscape. See it for yourself in this 4-minute video story. © DUC

Stories about grasslands

Community pastures

What may seem like a few cows dawdling across a grassy landscape is, in fact, part of an increasingly high-profile conservation agenda.

Conservator, Grasslands, Philanthropic

Conservation at McIntyre Ranch

Joining forces to protect the largest private grassland project in Canadian history

85 Years of Conservation, Grasslands, Volunteers

Guts, grit and friends in high places

The secrets of DUC's most successful annual fundraising event: the Toronto Dinner.

Grasslands, Landowners, Prairie Pothole Region, Wildlife

Land homesteaded in 1881 conserved by Ducks Unlimited Canada

With help from DUC, Carol Chapman has conserved land near Baldur, Manitoba that her Icelandic family homesteaded in 1881.

Biodiversity, Grasslands, Prairie Pothole Region, Wildlife

A bittersweet legacy for Adam Herold

A grassland oasis honours a lost son following the Humboldt Broncos tragedy

85 Years of Conservation, Grasslands

Partners in conservation: protecting Alberta’s remaining grassland habitat

Learn about the importance of the Alberta's native grasslands that support wildlife and bird species, including the northern pintail.

Biodiversity, Grasslands, Landowners, Prairie Pothole Region, Wildlife

Protecting our connection to the land

Conservation easements offer means of preserving Saskatchewan heritage.

85 Years of Conservation, Biodiversity, Grasslands, Pollinators, Wetlands

Canadian farms produce more than food

The land used to grow and raise our food also stores carbon, provides biodiversity habitat, filters our water and helps mitigate the impacts of climate change like flooding and drought.

Soil is at the root of a healthy planet but we’re treating it like dirt

Healthy soil safeguards nature, filters water, stores carbon and increases biodiversity both above and below ground. It also provides 95 per cent of the food we eat. The bottom line: healthy soil is at the root of everything essential to our survival.