Grassland degradation

Grassland degradation, also called vegetation or steppe degradation, is a biotic disturbance in which grass struggles to grow or can no longer exist on a piece of land due to causes such as overgrazing, burrowing of small mammals, and climate change.^[1] Since the 1970s,^[2] it has been noticed to affect plains and plateaus of alpine meadows or grasslands, most notably being in the Philippines and in the Tibetan and Inner Mongolian region of China, where 2,460 km² (950 sq mi) of grassland is degraded each year.^[3][4] Across the globe it is estimated that 23% of the land is degraded.^[5] It takes years and sometimes even decades, depending on what is happening to that piece of land, for a grassland to become degraded.^[1] The process is slow and gradual, but so is restoring degraded grassland.^[1] Initially, only patches of grass appear to die and appear brown; but the degradation process, if not addressed, can spread to many acres of land.^[5] As a result, the frequency of landslides and dust storms may increase. The degraded land's less fertile ground cannot yield crops, or animals graze in these fields. With a dramatic decrease in plant diversity in this ecosystem, more carbon and nitrogen may be released into the atmosphere.^[6][1] These results can have serious effects on humans such as displacing herders from their community; a decrease in vegetables, fruit, and meat that are regularly acquired from these fields; and a catalyzing effect on global warming.^[2]