Grassland systems, both natural and seeded, cover more than 16 million hectares of land in Canada and are an incredibly valuable resource. Grasslands sequester a large amount of carbon and do so stably as it is stored in the soil. Unfortunately, many grasslands are lost every year, leading to large GHG fluxes, and many others are not well managed with respect to carbon storage or GHG mitigation.
We seek to stem conversion of grassland systems by improving our understanding and valuation of the services they provide, and to use that understanding to enhance GHG mitigation in seeded grasslands. Increasing species and genetic diversity in grassland systems by including native species in seeded pasture can help maintain productivity in stressful years and mitigate greenhouse gases (GHGs) by enhancing carbon storage.
