From fields to frameworks

Despite their importance for providing essential ecosystem services, grasslands are barely addressed in global or regional policies. We provide an overview of different grassland policies, their effectiveness on the intended outcome, as well as their socioeconomic effects. For the overview, we reviewed existing literature on grassland policies and conducted a survey and a focus group discussion with grassland experts. The literature reasons that the lack of recognition of grassland ecosystem services is one explanation why grassland policies are often not in place or enforced. Because grassland issues vary substantially between regions, the policy responses also differ substantially. Regulatory approaches and subsidies are common and well researched to protect or improve the status of grasslands. The results of our survey show that policies often promote biodiversity, followed by grassland conversion, protection, and restoration. In the focus group discussion, experts suggested to tailor policies to fit the needs of stakeholders and specifically address grassland degradation. While private initiatives might fill the gap where governmental action is lacking, there is still little insight about how effective these interventions are.