Grassland is a big deal, not just here but worldwide.

It accounts for 70% of all the world's farmland and almost 70% of farmland here in the UK.

Most of the crops we grow, like wheat or maize, suck goodness out of the soil. 

But, when grazed by animals, grassland actually puts goodness back into the soil. And, at the same time, it converts grass – that we can't eat – into food that we can eat, in the form of protein. 

It's the only crop that can do that.

But it also does something far, far, more important. It stores vast amounts of carbon.  

Grasslands cover about a quarter of the earth’s land surface and store around a quarter of the world’s carbon stocks.

 

Grasslands are the least protected terrestrial biomes. Only 4.6% are protected globally. 

 

Here in the UK, grasslands store two billion tonnes of carbon – that's more than the weight of six thousand Empire State Buildings.

When we burn fossil fuels around half of what we emit goes into the atmosphere where it adds to global warming. The rest is absorbed by nature. It's stored in the soil, the oceans and vegetation.

 

Globally, soil stores almost twice as much carbon as all living flora – and the atmosphere – combined. 

And grassland – if properly managed and “species-rich' – is able to store more than its fair share of carbon. 

It's all because of the roots. 

If you've ever pulled up some grass you'll know that the grass on top is just a fraction of the roots below.

In fact, these fibrous roots can grow up to two or three metres deep, some even more. And it's mostly carbon. Which explains why 20% of a grassland's carbon is stored above ground and 80% below.

There's even evidence to suggest that – in some cases – grassland can store more carbon than forests. 

And, in some regions, it could overtake forests as the most reliable carbon store. 

That's because the carbon in forests is top heavy. It's mostly stored in wood and leaves above the ground. While in grassland it's mostly buried in the soil – where it's less affected by droughts and wildfires.

New evidence suggests that rewilding grassland by letting woody shrubs grow on it – has minimal effect on carbon storage. And in some cases actually releases more carbon.

 

 

 

It's all down to how we manage the land 

Grasslands don't just store carbon, they also support biodiversity. In a big way.

But a lot depends on the way they're managed. When managed badly they lose both biodiversity and carbon.

Unfortunately, much of our grassland has suffered years of bad management.

It all started in the 1940's and 1950's when chemical fertilisers, herbicides and new grass varieties were introduced to increase yields. But those soils are now depleted and lacking in carbon.

And it's this industrially managed land that's important. Because that's where there's space to put carbon back in.

In fact, when you improve poor grassland, you get to store more than a ton of carbon per acre, per year – almost as much as gets sequestered into Sitka Spruce plantations.

But this doesn't go on forever.  

Because, once you reach peak soil health no more carbon can be absorbed.

And that means, the next job is to maintain and nurture healthy – biodiverse – grassland. To keep the carbon safely locked up.

And the best way to do that is with animals.

We often hear that livestock damage ecosystems... but that's only true if they're badly managed. Properly managed – animals are good for the health of grassland.

 

 

That's because grassland-based and mixed crop-livestock systems optimise nutrient and energy cycles. So they put goodness into the soil and support biodiversity.

Which is good news for us, here in the UK. Because almost half our farmland can't actually grow any edible crops at all. It's suitable only for grass and animals.

And that means the only sustainable way to get food from grassland is to graze it with livestock.

But this nature-friendly farming comes at a cost. 

To get the benefits you've got to settle for a lower yield – on average, 25% lower than conventional industrial agriculture. 

 

Globally, there's enough cropland to feed 9 billion people in 2050.  But only if we do three things

Firstly, stop using cropland to produce food to feed animals - and feed it to humans instead. 

Secondly, manage livestock on grassland efficiently and sustainably.

And last but not least – if we're serious about climate change – we've no choice but to eat less meat.

SOURCES

Scientific evidence for habitat creation and restoration
Warwickshire County Council
3 May 2018

Are dairy cows and livestock behind the growth of soya in South America?
Sustainable Food Trust
Richard Young – 26 January 2017

Commentary by the Sustainable Food Trust on grazed and confused report
Sustainable Food Trust
5 October 2017

Defining a land boundary for sustainable livestock consumption
Global Change Biology
Hannah H. E. Van Zanten, Mario Herrero, Ollie Van Hal, Elin Röös,Adrian Muller, Tara Garnett, Pierre J. Gerber, Christian Schader, Imke J. M. De Boer - 22 May 2018

Food system impacts on biodiversity loss –  Three levers for food system transformation in support of natureChatham House, The Royal Institute of International
Affairs Tim G. Benton, Carling Bieg, Helen Harwatt, Roshan Pudasaini and Laura WellesleyFebruary 2021

Nature's tapestry – The story of England’s grasslands and why not all grass is green
The Grassland Trust
Miles King – 2011

CPRE’s Vision for the future of farming: The future of beef and sheep farming
Campaign to Protect Rural England
31 August 2012

Livestock and landscapes
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
2012

Challenges and opportunities for carbon sequestration in grassland systems
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
Richard T. Conant – 2010

Beyond forests – Has the carbon storage potential of grasslands been overlooked?
Fauna and Flora International
Mariska Bartlett

Considering forest and grassland carbon in land management
United States Department of Agriculture
Janowiak, Maria, Connelly, William J., Dante-Wood, Karen; Domke, Grant M., Giardina, Christian, Kayler, Zachary, Marcinkowski, Kailey; Ontl, Todd, Rodriguez-Franco, Carlos, Swanston, Chris, Woodall, Chris W., Buford and Marilyn - June 2017

Feeding the problem
Green Peace
February 2019

Climate-positive farming reviews
The James Hutton Institute
Allan Lilly, Nikki Baggaley and Jagadeesh Yeluripati – September 2020

Grassland futures in Great Britain – Productivity assessment and scenarios for land use change opportunities
Science of The Total Environment
Aiming Qi, Robert A.Holland, GailTaylor, Goetz M.Richter – September 2018

Do we need to stop eating meat and dairy to tackle climate change?
Carbon Brief
Prof Pete Smith, Dr Tara Garnett, Daisy Dunne, Josh Gabbatiss, Dr Helen Harwatt and Dr Modi Mwatsama – 18 September 2020

Grassland
The Wildlife Trusts