Temperate grasslands are the least protected biome in the world, with only 5% in any form of permanent protection. One of only four grassland ecosystems still intact enough to warrant consideration for holistic ecological restoration is the Northern Great Plains of North America, but no currently existing protected area there approaches the estimated 1.3 million hectares necessary for a fully-functioning short-grass prairie ecosystem. Montana holds one of the largest areas of intact prairie on the continent with some of the greatest species diversity anywhere in the Great Plains. Nevertheless, these grasslands are converted to croplands at an alarming rate, and while species-level biodiversity remains high, artificially suppressed and shrinking abundance of numerous bird and mammal species (including three important “ecosystem engineers”) threatens the overall functioning and resilience of the system. American Prairie seeks to restore a vast and fully-functioning prairie ecosystem around the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR-NWR), that contains ecologically meaningful populations of all non-extinct native species, with management focused on maximizing the integrity, complexity, and resilience of the system. American Prairie’s success will demonstrate how private philanthropy can be used to leverage public resources – a strategy that could benefit conservation efforts around the world.
Results/Conclusions
Since 2004, American Prairie has completed 33 land transactions to build a habitat base of 183,091 ha, already the second largest protected area in the Great Plains. Of this total, 47,595 ha are privately owned by American Prairie and 135,495 ha are leases on public lands (federal and state). When combined with the nearby 445,154 ha CMR-NWR – the largest protected area in the Great Plains and the anchor for the American Prairie project – we are about halfway to the 1.3 million hectares necessary for a fully-functioning short-grass prairie ecosystem. The American Prairie bison (Bison bison) herd was established in 2005 with the reintroduction of 16 animals, and currently numbers just over 800 animals on 3 distinct management units. Ongoing research has found that bison grazing in these pastures has numerous positive impacts on riparian and rangeland health, and that these changes are associated with increased wildlife diversity and occupancy. Collaborative efforts are also underway to reintroduce viable populations of both swift fox (Vulpes velox) and black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes). In this talk, I will discuss American Prairie’s novel approach to large landscape restoration, our measurable successes to date, and our nascent and interdisciplinary rewilding strategy.
