World Wildlife Fund

WWF strategically chooses our conservation actions based on sound science. One of WWF's most important steps to date in the Northern Great Plains has been to undertake a thorough scientific assessment of the ecoregion's conservation needs and priorities.

In cooperation with the 25 organizations of the Northern Plains Conservation Network, WWF took the lead in preparing Ocean of Grass: A Conservation Vision for the Northern Great Plains.

The Ocean of Grass report, released in 2004, provides both a description of the ecoregion's remarkable biodiversity and a blueprint for its long-term conservation.

WWF's 'Ocean of Grass', is the most thorough assessment ever of the Northern Great Plains.
© Valerie Bruchon / American Prairie Foundation

A centerpiece of the blueprint is the identification of ten areas suitable for large-scale conservation. These areas, ranging in size from 1.9-3.9 million acres, harbor concentrations of rare or unique species and possess large areas of intact native prairie. These areas complement a network of smaller but significant sites identified by The Nature Conservancy in its assessment of the ecoregion. We also identified 23 aquatic areas whose conservation is critical to protecting the total biodiversity of the Northern Great Plains.

Comprehensive biodiversity conservation in the Northern Great Plains requires that we address the conservation needs of species, habitats and ecological and evolutionary processes at multiple scales, from local levels to linkages between ecoregions. WWF is developing strategies and working to restore and conserve the biodiversity of these high-priority areas. Our goals for the ecoregion include:

• Increasing conservation lands ecoregionally. The current 1.5 percent coverage of existing traditional protected areas is woefully inadequate. Expanding the lands in conservation can be accomplished through a variety of instruments, including voluntary landowner agreements, easements, and acquisition, as well as through the creation of parks and refuges. By 2020, we plan to support the expansion of conservation lands to 10-15 percent of the ecoregion, including two or more areas of several million acres each.
  
• Promoting ecologically sustainable management. Management of the landscape should strive to:
  • prevent further loss of native prairie;
  • limit the spread of nonnative plant and animal species; and
  • encourage grazing practices that restore and maintain native prairie habitats and species diversity.
• Restoring populations of native species and securing their long-term viability. By 2050 in the Northern Great Plains there should be:
  • at least two populations of 5,000 wild bison each under natural or near-natural conditions;
  • at least 500,000 acres of prairie dog towns within large complexes supporting viable populations of black-footed ferrets; and
  • stable or increasing populations of all grassland-dependent birds.
• Ensuring that the Missouri River system supports the full complement of aquatic and riparian species by restoring water flows that mimic historical patterns. Beginning immediately, there should be no new construction of dams on major rivers and streams in the Northern Great Plains. By 2025 or sooner, near-natural flows should be restored in all identified priority streams and rivers in the ecoregion.