Saving our shared heritage

Grasslands have played a crucial role in shaping the Earth’s biosphere and continue to be vital for ecological processes, biodiversity conservation, and human livelihoods. This chapter summarizes the state of grasslands knowledge based on the chapters in this Handbook , highlighting the complexity of these social-ecological systems and the urgent need for their preservation. The chapters in this Handbook cover a range of topics, from ancient evolutionary histories to cutting-edge genomics research, as well as pastoral traditions and modern policy frameworks, which are considered together under a three-pillar model of environmental, social, and economic grassland sustainability. Together, the authors of these chapters emphasize the diverse value of grasslands globally. In aggregate, the book advocates for 19 research priorities to help protect native biodiversity, sustain essential ecosystem services, and preserve cultural and traditional knowledge of this globally important biome.