JV8 Central Grasslands Conservation Initiative
Eight Migratory Bird Joint Ventures Unified for Conservation of the Central Grasslands
The Central Grasslands
North American native grasslands are disappearing.
Estimated boundary of the North American central grasslands.
Temperate grasslands in North America are considered the most threatened major ecosystem in the world. The Great Plains has sustained extensive grassland loss and degradation since the 1800s due to agriculture, urbanization, exotic plantings, afforestation, and loss or suppression of ecological drivers such as native free-roaming grazers and fire.
Historic grassland losses within temperate North America total approximately 70%, including complete conversion of the most productive areas where only remnant tracts remain (e.g. tallgrass prairie). Recent estimates of agricultural conversion and grassland protection in the Northern Great Plains suggest grassland loss is occurring five times faster than grasslands can be protected.
Grassland Birds
Grasslands are important for many groups of birds - not just sparrows. North American grassland bird populations have been declining faster than any other avian guild over the last 40 years, with 75% of species showing significant population declines.
Since the 1970s, grassland bird populations in North America have declined more than 50%. Grassland bird species include more than just sparrows - upland nesting shorebirds and waterfowl as well as gamebirds also depend on this habitat.
Who We Are
The JV8 Central Grasslands Conservation Initiative is implementing grassland conservation programs across a landscape of 500 million acres with the goal of reversing or stabilizing declining bird populations in the central grasslands of North America. Migratory Bird Joint Ventures (JV) are well suited to deliver this conservation effort, with a long history of collaborative conservation that has led to the protection, enhancement, and restoration of nearly 27 million acres of habitat.
This map is interactive - click the icon at the lower left to see the legend, or click anywhere on the map to learn more about each Joint Venture.
Conserving Native Grasslands
By working as a multi-national network, the JV8 aims to scale up the conservation success achieved within individual JVs across the larger central grasslands landscape through the protection of undisturbed lands and selective restoration of disturbed lands. This collaborative approach will enable participating JVs to learn from each other, fostering regional and local solutions that keep people on the landscape and build support for grassland conservation.
Data sourced from Rosenberg et al. 2019 .
The Joint Venture strategic business model has one of the highest returns on investment in conservation.
A 2019 report revealed the loss of 3 billion birds since 1970. Only wetland birds showed an increase, while grassland birds were hardest hit. The dramatic reversal of downward population trends for wetland birds over the last 30 years is due, in large part, to the efforts of JVs and their partners.
What We're Doing
For more information about the JV8 Central Grasslands Conservation Initiative , contact info@jv8.org
To learn about the members of the JV8 and a sample of what each is doing to protect and restore native grasslands, keep scrolling or click a pin on the map to jump to a specific JV.
