Old-Growth Grasslands: Definition, Importance, and Policy Relevance

Old-growth grasslands are ancient, biodiverse and have persisted over millennia as grassy ecosystems, shaped and stabilised by long-term interactions with fire, herbivory, climate variability and soil processes. Despite their ecological importance, old-growth grasslands are routinely misclassified as “degraded forests,” “wastelands,” or “unused lands,” leading to neglect in policy frameworks. Explore this brief, to better understand these crucial ecosystems.