Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
TRAILER | Grasslands and prairies are the world’s most altered and imperiled major habitat, but less than 10 percent of these lands are protected globally. A roughly 71-million-acre target region stretching across Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, known as the Southern High Plains, remains as one of the largest intact and connected grassland landscapes in North America.
The ecological systems of the Southern High Plains face an interconnected set of threats driven by conversion to cropland, invasive species, and habitat fragmentation and degradation. Changes in climate projected for the region will likely exacerbate these threats.
Despite its ecological significance and the threats facing it, less than 11% of the region’s most important grasslands have been protected so far.
Grassland Guardians: Stories from the Southern High Plains tells five interconnected stories of people working to save this critical landscape through research, regenerative grazing practices, sustainable land management and recreation and tourism.
This film was made possible with generous support from USDA, NRCS and all our partners.
Keep up with The Nature Conservancy's latest efforts to protect nature and preserve life:
Facebook - nature.org/facebook
Instagram - nature.org/instagram
LinkedIn - nature.org/linkedin
Text NATURE to 97779 to join The Nature Conservancy on text.
To sign-up for nature e-news visit: preserve.nature.org/page/82226/data/1
TRAILER | Grasslands and prairies are the world’s most altered and imperiled major habitat, but less than 10 percent of these lands are protected globally. A roughly 71-million-acre target region stretching across Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, known as the Southern High Plains, remains as one of the largest intact and connected grassland landscapes in North America.
The ecological systems of the Southern High Plains face an interconnected set of threats driven by conversion to cropland, invasive species, and habitat fragmentation and degradation. Changes in climate projected for the region will likely exacerbate these threats.
Despite its ecological significance and the threats facing it, less than 11% of the region’s most important grasslands have been protected so far.
Grassland Guardians: Stories from the Southern High Plains tells five interconnected stories of people working to save this critical landscape through research, regenerative grazing practices, sustainable land management and recreation and tourism.
This film was made possible with generous support from USDA, NRCS and all our partners.
Keep up with The Nature Conservancy's latest efforts to protect nature and preserve life:
Facebook - nature.org/facebook
Instagram - nature.org/instagram
LinkedIn - nature.org/linkedin
Text NATURE to 97779 to join The Nature Conservancy on text.
To sign-up for nature e-news visit: preserve.nature.org/page/82226/data/1
