Conservation Ecology of South American Grasslands

South American grasslands—including the Pampas, Campos and Rio de la Plata biomes—constitute one of the world’s most extensive temperate and subtropical grassland systems. These ecosystems support diverse plant and animal communities, sequester substantial soil organic carbon and underpin one of the planet’s largest extensive livestock industries. Conservation ecology in this region grapples with reconciling traditional low-input grazing systems with accelerating agricultural conversion driven by global commodity markets. Land-use change has led to soil degradation, biodiversity loss and altered hydrological regimes, while fragmentation and invasive species threaten native assemblages. Restoration and sustainable management strategies emphasise adaptive grazing regimes, reintroduction of native species and ecological monitoring. Advances in remote sensing and long-term ecological research now enable spatially explicit assessments of vegetation dynamics and soil health, informing policies that aim to balance production, carbon storage and biodiversity conservation. Cross-disciplinary collaboration among ecologists, agronomists, economists and local communities is essential to develop integrated approaches that future-proof ecosystem service provision without compromising rural livelihoods.

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Conservation Ecology of South American Grasslands publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in conservation ecology of south american grasslands across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Ecosystem service: Benefit that humans obtain from natural ecosystems, such as carbon storage, water purification or pollination.

Stocking rate: Number of grazing animals per unit area over a specified period.

Forage allowance: Proportion of available plant biomass allocated for grazing to maintain vegetation health and productivity.

NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index): Satellite-derived index indicating vegetation density and health based on reflectance measurements.

Phenology: Study of periodic plant and animal life-cycle events and how they are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate.

Biome: Major ecological community type defined by climate and dominant vegetation, such as grassland, forest or desert.

References

1. Land Use/Land Cover Change (2000–2014) in the Rio de la Plata Grasslands: An Analysis Based on MODIS NDVI Time Series. Remote Sensing (2020).
2. Land use change and ecosystem service provision in Pampas and Campos grasslands of southern South America. Environmental Research Letters (2016).
3. Future-proofing extensive livestock production in subtropical grasslands and savannas. Animal Frontiers (2023).