National Grasslands Biodiversity Program

The South Africa Grasslands biome is a repository of globally significant biodiversity. Much of the grasslands ecosystem presently lies in production landscapes allocated to livestock production, agriculture (mainly cereals), afforestacion with exotic tree species, and coal mining. In addition, South Africa's largest urban and industrial centre is located within the grasslands. Production activities constitute the main threat to grasslands biodiversity. Therefore, there is a need to mainstream biodiversity management objectives into the practices of the production sectors that provide the stimulus for land use changes that threaten biodiversity. The objective of this project is: Major production sectors are directly contributing to the achievement of biodiversity conservation priorities within the grasslands biome.