Grasslands are one of the most human-altered terrestrial ecosystems in California. Native perennial grassland types make up less than 1% of state grassland, with the balance being dominated by exotic annual grasses. Even so, grassland provides important habitat for many threatened and endangered species. In addition, sensitive elements such as vernal pools are often interspersed in grasslands.
In spite of our impressive knowledge of grassland ecology, large expanses of habitat are still being degraded, fragmented, and converted. Although grasslands occupy nearly 11 million acres of California, only 4% of extant California grasslands are in formally designated reserves. Finally, because 88% of California grasslands are privately owned, land use and land management policy resides primarily at the county and local levels, where information concerning treatment of grasslands is lacking.
A group of grassland specialists recently received approval by the University of California Press for a new book synthesizing knowledge on the science and management of California Grasslands (lead editors Mark Stromberg (UCB), Carla D’Antonio (UCSB) and Jeff Corbin (UCB)). Our group has been offered the opportunity to work with Dr. Frank Davis to summarize the current ownership and management of California grasslands, review existing and proposed county, state and federal policies that affect their disposition and future, and identify and evaluate alternative policy approaches and conservation strategies.
Upon publication, the citation for our submission will be as follows:
Jantz, P. A., B. F. L. Preusser, J. K. Fujikawa, J. A. Kuhn, C. J. Bersbach, J. Gelbard, and F. W. Davis. In Press “Conservation Planning and Policies for California Grasslands.” In Ecology and Management of California Grasslands edited by M. Stromberg, C. D’Antonio and J. Corbin. Berkeley: UC Press