Grasslands' role in fighting climate change

Properly managed grasslands � even more than forests � could fight climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, according to a newly released report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The world's nearly 3.4 billion hectares of grasslands store 30% of global soil carbon in addition to the substantial amount of above-ground carbon held in trees, bushes, shrubs and grasses. They also account for 70% of agricultural land. In its report 'Review of Evidence on Drylands Pastoral Systems and Climate Change', FAO noted that grasslands could play a major role in supporting the adaptation and reducing the vulnerability to climate change for the more than one billion people who depend on livestock for a living. FAO Assistant Director-General Alexander M�ller said that the world will have to use all options to contain average global warming within two degrees Celsius. He noted that "agriculture and land use have the potential to help minimise net greenhouse gas emissions through specific practices, especially building soil and biomass carbon. These practices can at the same time increase the productivity and resilience of agriculture, thus contributing to food security and poverty reduction". The report also noted that grasslands help improve the soil's water retention capacity and thus can help its ability to withstand drought, and help safeguard biodiversity. In addition, it cautioned that grasslands are particularly sensitive to land degradation, which affects some 70% of pastures as a result of overgrazing, salinisation, acidification and other processes. Pressure on the land is also due to the need to meet fast-growing demand for meat and dairy products. In November 2009, FAO released a report in which it said that the world's farmlands can be the frontline for the fight against the impact of climate change and the battle to feed the mounting global population. Improvements in cropland and grazing land management as well as the restoration of organic soils and degraded lands are the most significant technical measures to lessen the impact of climate change.