JV8 Central Grasslands Conservation Initiative
Eight Migratory Bird Joint Ventures Unified for Conservation of the Central Grasslands
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The Central Grasslands
North American native grasslands are disappearing.
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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.
These maps depict the historic extent (left) and current extent (right) of 12 major temperate grassland types of the North American Great Plains.
Drag the arrows left and right to see how this landscape has changed. Maps sourced from Comer et al. 2018 .
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On average, 2 million acres of grassland are lost each year.
When we lose our grasslands, we lose biodiversity, pollinators, working lands, opportunities for hunting and outdoor recreation, carbon sequestration, and water security. These losses adversely impact rural communities and economies across the continent.
Photo courtesy of Rick Bohn.
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.
At left is the overlap in distribution of grassland bird species that breed primarily in the Great Plains, highlighting the strong migratory connectivity of these birds with Mexico's Chihuahuan grasslands. Over 85% of grassland-dependent bird species in this region migrate between the Great Plains and the Chihuahuan grasslands twice a year to access breeding and wintering habitat.
Since 1970, North American grassland birds have lost 53% of their population. Species that overwinter in the Chihuahuan grasslands are experiencing especially steep losses of nearly 70%. Today, one-third of all grassland bird species are on the Partners in Flight Watch List due to declining populations and threats to habitat.
Graphic courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Lark bunting. Photo courtesy of Tom Benson.
The abundance map of the lark bunting at left illustrates the importance of conservation initiatives that address the full life cycle of grassland birds. Like the lark bunting, many other grassland species utilize habitat spanning three nations during their annual cycle. This, coupled with steep population declines, calls for transboundary partnerships and a collaborative approach to stem further grassland bird losses.
"These are tri-national birds, these are the birds of North America. These are the birds that are nearly endemic to this area. It is our responsibility as North Americans to save populations of these birds." Mike Carter, Playa Lakes Joint Venture
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.
Within the Great Plains, eight JVs – representing over 72 federal, state, provincial, non-profit, and industry conservation partners – are collaborating to stem grassland losses and the negative impacts to grassland birds. This partnership spans the breeding, migration, and wintering habitats used by birds during their annual cycle in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
The mission of the JV8 is to engage conservation partners and investors in a multi-national effort to drive the recovery of native grasslands and the wildlife that depends on them while fostering thriving human cultures.
Cooperation between JVs at regional to continental scales is just beginning. JV networks increasingly recognize the necessity of large-scale planning and action for the benefit of migratory birds across North America.
The central grasslands from Canada to Mexico support stable, thriving, and diverse communities of birds, other wildlife, and people into the future. - JV8 Vision Statement
Compelled by alarming grassland loss rates, the JV8 embarked on a native grassland mapping project in partnership with ConocoPhillips and the USDA Farm Service Agency to identify potentially undisturbed lands (PUDL) within their administrative boundaries (i.e. lands that have never been tilled or developed). The goal of this assessment was to prioritize habitat conservation efforts across the central grasslands.
The grassland assessment was completed in 2019. While the assessment found that only 21% of Great Plains grasslands remain undisturbed, this is comparatively high, making them continentally valuable and important to conserve.
Of these undisturbed lands, 93% are unprotected and at risk of conversion. These intact lands offer greater ecosystem services than restored lands, and the protection of existing native grasslands plays a critical role in meeting grassland bird needs.
This assessment is only the first step in a process to galvanize the JV8 to move forward as a network for grassland conservation. Partnerships are the engine that drives Joint Venture success, and it is paramount to bring people and resources together to address the complex issues facing our grasslands.
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.
Migratory Bird JVs have learned how to turn things around for wetland birds and are applying that strategy to grassland birds.
Using the grassland assessment along with species-habitat models, the JV8 is developing a strategy to prioritize grasslands for protection and restoration. The JV8 Central Grasslands Conservation Initiative is built on the power of partnerships and their success in conserving wetland birds. Through this initiative, the JV8 is bringing people and resources together to scale up successful models of grassland conservation and meet targeted grassland goals while leveraging federal dollars for maximum effectiveness.
Joint Ventures support conservation that works for wildlife and for the people who live on these lands.
Migratory Bird JVs work with many partners to build and sustain a healthy world for birds, other wildlife, and people. Collaborative conservation on private lands and active management of public lands leads to healthy habitat for wildlife as well as improved forage production for ranching, sustainable agriculture through pollinators, and economic vitality for rural communities.
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.
Prairie Habitat JV
In Canada, the PHJV focuses on wetland and grassland retention and restoration. The PHJV is also working with agricultural stakeholders to include the maintenance of remaining grasslands as part of industry-wide sustainability standards. The 2021 PHJV Implementation Plan includes, for the first time, grassland retention and restoration objectives to stem the loss of grassland birds.
Prairie Pothole JV
Building on the successful breeding waterfowl conservation approach of habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement, the PPJV is stepping up their efforts on landbirds. With the support of over 20 partners across the North American Great Plains, they produced a full annual-cycle conservation strategy in 2018 for four grassland nesting birds of conservation concern, specifying how many acres of breeding habitat are needed to reverse declining population trends.
Northern Great Plains JV
The NGPJV is actively working with private landowners and rural communities to protect, restore, and enhance grasslands. They maintain a conservation delivery network, spatial planning tools, and the Northern Grassland Restoration Incentive Program to support locally-led conservation decisions.
Rainwater Basin JV
The RWBJV is taking an active approach to make habitat for 13.5 million grassland birds. Their primary strategies for grassland enhancement and restoration include managing eastern red cedar invasions on 420,000 acres, returning the historic fire frequency to a 1 in 10 year cycle on 2 million acres, and restoring 500,000 acres of grassland lost in the last decade.
Playa Lakes JV
The PLJV is working to remove and control woody invasive shrubs, help producers transition to grass-friendly operations as the Ogallala aquifer declines, and support private land trusts as an initiative to expand grassland protection. With a goal of protecting 4 million acres in 10 years, they are giving multi-year grants to agricultural land trusts to expand their capacity.
Oaks and Prairies JV
The OPJV is home to the Grassland Restoration Incentive Program , or GRIP, a practical approach to provide financial assistance and technical guidance, work with private landowners to restore grasslands, and evaluate results. As of 2021, OPJV partners supported over 300 projects and restored over 106,000 acres of grassland habitat.
Rio Grande JV
Building a strategy based on species-habitat relationship models and strong binational partnerships, the RGJV is helping us identify exactly what actions to take to conserve grasslands on the wintering grounds of several steeply declining bird species. This strategy will include conservation plans for each Grassland Priority Conservation Area in two Bird Conservation Regions. The RGJV is also home to two Conservation Delivery networks - the South Texas Grassland Restoration Incentive Program and the Chihuahuan Desert Conservation Partnership.
Sonoran JV
Grassland conservation efforts in the SJV span the international border and connect people in the United States and Mexico. The SJV leads the Borderlands Avian Data Center (BADC), a binational online collaboration platform that connects partners and helps them share and access bird monitoring data and tools at multiple scales to support and improve grassland bird and habitat conservation efforts.