Kenyan grasslands by day
These sounds were recorded as part of our Biome Health Project in Kenya's grasslands.
What defines a grassland?
A grassland is defined by its dominance of grasses and other herbaceous plants, its moderate rainfall, and the relative absence of trees and large shrubs. Globally, these ecosystems are shaped and maintained by climate and ecological drivers.
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© naturepl.com / Gerrit Vyn / WWFVegetation
MoreClose Dominated by grasses, with other low-lying herbaceous plants such as wildflowers, sedges and legumes (collectively referred to as forbs), and can include a low proportion of shrubs or trees.
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© WWF-US / Alexis BonogofskyClimate
MoreClose The distribution of grasslands is determined by climate, mainly temperature and rainfall. Grasslands occur in climates with moderate rainfall, where rainfall is sufficient to support grasses but not enough to sustain dense forests.
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© WWF-US / Clay BoltSoil
MoreClose Soils are often deep and fertile, enriched by the decay of grass roots.
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© Joseph Gray / WWF-UKGeography
MoreClose Found on every continent except Antarctica. Typically located between forests and deserts, often serving as transitional zones.
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© Steve Taylor / WWF-UK
Wildlife that live in the grasslands
Some of the world’s best-known and iconic wildlife makes its home within grasslands, including savannah elephants, rhinos and lions on the east African acacia savannahs. And Bengal tigers, greater one-horned rhinos and Asian elephants on the lowland grasslands of Asia's Terai Arc.
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© Diana Rudenko / WWFAfrican buffalo
MoreClose Buffalo are large, grass‑eating animals found across Africa’s savannahs and grasslands. Living in herds, they spend much of their time grazing, feeding on grasses and other plants. This constant grazing helps shape the landscape, maintaining open habitats that support a wide range of other wildlife and keep grassland ecosystems in balance.[1]
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© Martin Harvey / WWFAfrican wild dogs
MoreClose African wild dogs are fast, highly social predators found across Africa’s grasslands and open plains. They live in close-knit packs, working together to hunt and raise their young. By hunting medium-sized herbivores, they help keep prey numbers in balance—protecting habitats from overgrazing and supporting a healthier ecosystem overall.[2]. These ‘painted wolves’ once ranged across nearly all of sub-Saharan Africa, but today they are confined to scattered strongholds. The species is now found in just 14 countries, having lost nearly 93% of their original range. Wild dogs are rarely sighted, and this makes them a difficult species to research and monitor. But Tanzania has long been considered a stronghold for wild dogs.
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© Kinjal VasavadaAfrican wild elephants
MoreClose African elephants are the world’s largest land animals, roaming savannahs and forests across the continent. As herbivores, they feed on grasses, leaves, and bark, constantly shaping the vegetation around them. Known as ‘landscape architects’, they create clearings and spread seeds, helping plants grow and supporting diverse wildlife across grassland and forest ecosystems.
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© Michael MillerAfrican lions
MoreClose African lions are powerful big cats that live in groups called prides, working together to hunt and raise their young. They are highly social and are found across grasslands in sub‑Saharan Africa.
As predators, lions play a vital role in the food chain. By hunting herbivores like zebra and wildebeest, they help keep animal populations balanced, preventing overgrazing and maintaining healthy grassland ecosystems.
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© Suyash Keshari / WWF-AustraliaTigers
MoreClose Tigers are powerful, solitary big cats found across forests, grasslands, and wetlands in Asia. As predators, they hunt animals such as deer and help keep ecosystems in balance.
By controlling herbivore populations, tigers prevent overgrazing and protect vegetation—supporting healthy habitats for many other species and the people who rely on them.
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© Martin Harvey / WWFAfrican Rhinos
MoreClose African rhinos are large herbivores found in grasslands and savannahs, including black and white species. They play an important role in shaping their environment through grazing.
As powerful grazers, rhinos help maintain open landscapes, create clearings, and enrich the soil—supporting biodiversity and keeping ecosystems balanced.
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© Martin Harvey / WWFZebras
MoreClose Zebras are striped grazing animals that live in African grasslands and savannahs, where they feed mainly on grasses.
As ‘pioneer grazers’, zebras help prevent overgrowth of vegetation and prepare land for other species, supporting biodiversity and maintaining healthy ecosystems.
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Asian elephants
MoreClose Asian elephants are large mammals that inhabit forests and grasslands across Asia, traveling together in herds across wide landscapes.
As keystone species, they shape habitats by creating clearings and spreading seeds and nutrients, supporting biodiversity and benefiting both ecosystems and people.
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© Richard Barrett / WWF-UKAsian rhinos
MoreClose Asian rhinos are large herbivores found in grasslands, forests, and riverine habitats across parts of South and Southeast Asia.
As ‘landscape engineers’, they graze and browse vegetation, keep grasslands maintained, and disperse seeds—helping sustain balanced ecosystems and supporting other species.
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Why are grasslands so important?
The world's natural grasslands might sometimes seem a bit overlooked and undervalued – but they’re hugely important environments and cover about 54% of the earth’s land surface.
60% of the world’s food is produced in grassland ecosystems, with over 80% of agriculturally productive lands found within the grassland biome. Grasslands alone represent about one third of the global carbon stock and collectively store three times more carbon than tropical rainforests.
Different parts of the world refer to their grasslands by different names – for instance ‘savannah’ in Africa, ‘cerrado’ in South America, ‘prairie’ in North America, ‘steppe’ in central Asia, ‘meadow’ here in the UK.
What makes grasses so special is that they can survive and keep regrowing no matter how much they’re munched or nibbled by animals. It means they attract and support all kinds of wildlife. But most of the world's remaining natural grasslands are being rapidly converted into farmland – which is why they need our help.
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© Juozas Cernius / WWF-UK
How we're helping Grasslands
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© Juozas Cernius / WWF-UKCreating space for wildlife
MoreClose WWF is working with conservancies in the Greater Mara landscape to improve connectivity and range expansion for lions and other wildlife. Between 1 July 2023 and 1 June 2024, a total of 6,758 hectares of wildlife-rich rangeland was secured through lease payments (by WWF-Kenya) in the Oloolaimutia-Kijirjir-Olmeroi Corridor and Ololasurai-Olobiletai Corridors in the wider Siana area.
This benefited 832 landowners and continues to provide an incentive for conservation. This incentive led to 29 plots of 35 acres each being de-fenced (a total of 1,015 acres or 411 hectares). The corridors form part of the wider SOKNOT belt that runs from the Mara to Amboseli to Northern Tanzania stretching to Tsavo National Park. The species that make use of these corridors are lions, giraffes, elephants, zebras, elands, buffalos, leopards, hyenas and more. -
© Silas Ismael / WWF-BrazilSeeds of hope
MoreClose WWF is helping restore the Cerrado in Brazil by working with local communities and partners to collect native seeds, repair degraded land, and support sustainable livelihoods. Through Cerrado de Pé, the work has collected 29 tons of seeds in five years, supported more than 100 families, and helped train 30 families to gather seeds for restoration in Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park.
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© Martin HarveyLasting change
MoreClose In Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania (SOKNOT), one project – Land for Life - covered around 8,890 km² of these precious landscapes, including the Loita forest in Kenya and Lake Natron landscape in Tanzania. These areas include grassland savannahs, dense forests and freshwater systems, which are critical for both people and wildlife. We have empowered communities to restore habitats, reduce human-wildlife conflict, and strengthen sustainable livelihoods.
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