Gerhard E. Overbeck

1 Introduction In many grasslands, disturbances such as fire and grazing have shaped grassland species composition over evolutionary times and contributed to the maintenance of non-forest vegetation until today (Bond and Keeley 2005; Bond 2021). Their regimes can vary in frequency, intensity, and magnitude.

Globally, grassy ecosystems (including grasslands, savannas, shrublands, woodlands, and tundra) cover 30 to 40% of the land and provide important benefits such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, livestock production, and cultural services. However, despite their importance, the conservation of grassy ecosystems—compared with that of forests—has been neglected around the world, leading to a greater loss rate than forest ecosystems in many regions.

Information & Authors Information Published In Science Volume 384 | Issue 6692 12 April 2024 Copyright Copyright © 2024 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Article versions Submission history Published in print: 12 April 2024 Permissions Request permissions for this article. Authors Affiliations Gerhard E.