Pastures in parallel

Today’s grasslands have been co-generated by social-ecological feedback systems. This chapter introduces the social-ecological framework to explain how grasslands are social-ecological systems. The ecosystem services conceptual framework is then described and applied to grasslands as a means to highlight the benefits that humans receive from grasslands. We particularly focus on non-provisioning services, i.e., non-agricultural products. Finally, two case studies are described to elaborate on human-grassland interactions and illustrate the reciprocal feedback loops between society’s well-being and management practices. Framing grasslands as social-ecological systems allows for a more holistic understanding of the interactions between management (i.e., culture) and ecosystems (i.e., nature).