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MERCED, October 16, 2026 - The California Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Natural Resources Agency, UC Merced, the California Rangeland Trust, Audubon California, and Point Blue Conservation Science will jointly host a summit focused on nature-based solutions (NBS) for California's grasslands.
The Grasslands Summit will bring together practitioners, policymakers, advocates, technical assistance providers, and academics to discuss progress on NBS for grasslands and identify opportunities to scale up implementation.
Grasslands cover 9.7 million acres - about 9 percent of California - and provide critical benefits including wildlife habitat, water filtration and storage, recreation, livestock grazing, and carbon storage. These landscapes face growing threats from degradation, climate change, and conversion to development. Nature-based solutions such as conservation, prescribed grazing, and restoration can help sustain these ecosystems and the services they provide to Californians.
"Grasslands make up the bulk of the land that California's ranchers use to raise cattle and other livestock, but that land provides so many other benefits in terms of habitat, water filtration, carbon sequestration, and more," said California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. "It is critical that we protect and restore these lands to ensure the continuation of a thriving food system as well as the other ecosystem services that support all of California"
In October 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-82-20, establishing a comprehensive agenda to expand nature-based solutions across the state. The order calls for restoring natural systems to achieve climate and biodiversity goals, while supporting public health, community safety, and the security of California's food and water supplies.
In 2024, California adopted its first climate targets centered on harnessing nature to remove and store carbon, buffer climate impacts, and strengthen resilience to wildfire, drought, flooding, extreme heat, and sea-level rise. These targets include conserving and restoring more than 88,000 acres of grasslands per year between 2030 and 2045.
"Nearly 1 out of every 10 acres in California are grasslands - and they're more important than most realize," said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. "These landscapes grow our food, support our farmers and ranchers, provide habitat to wildlife, store carbon, and form the livelihood of so many California communities. By working with the people who know and care for these lands, we can protect them and strengthen the benefits they provide for decades to come."
To support these goals, the State has significantly increased investments in grassland conservation and restoration, protecting land from development, improving soil health, restoring riparian areas, and advancing carbon sequestration. California has also invested heavily in reducing wildfire risk, conserving oak woodlands, and expanding grazing and rangeland stewardship programs. Together, these efforts have already delivered climate benefits across thousands of acres.
The Grasslands Summit will highlight successes in NBS implementation across California, strengthen connections among partners, and explore opportunities to accelerate nature-based approaches statewide, helping meet climate targets while supporting resilient and thriving grasslands.
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