Bison resting in prairie grass at the National Bison Range in Montana. (Courthouse News photo / David Reese)
(CN) — In a research effort four decades in the making, experts have constructed a comprehensive picture on the health of the bunchgrass prairie, one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America.
Despite once being one of the most eminent ecosystems in the North American continent, particularly in the Rockies, intermountain bunchgrass prairies have found themselves on a steep decline in recent decades. Widely regarded as one of the most threatened ecosystems, bunchgrass prairies cover less than 1% of the land they once did and have gradually become drier, hotter areas in recent years.