Across six continents, a sweeping study of grassland ecology has arrived at a conclusion that humbles human assumptions about nature's resilience: some losses, once made, echo for centuries. Ancient grasslands—shaped by millennia of drought, fire, and grazing—harbor slow-growing plants whose very patience makes them vulnerable when disturbed, unable to reclaim ground seized by faster, opportunistic species. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reminds us that what we call 'recovery' is often merely a different kind of landscape wearing the same name,
Destroyed grasslands may never fully recover, global study finds
Grassland degradation affects livelihoods of over a billion people globally who depend on grasslands for habitat, fodder, and ecosystem services.