Part 1 - The History and Significance of a Tallgrass Prairie

When natural ecosystems are irreversibly altered all of the other cycles of the planet become unbalanced and sometimes the consequences can be far reaching, eg. global warming. Conserving local habitat is not only beneficial for the immediate wildlife, but also for the larger systems, for example, both the carbon and water cycles. The planet can be viewed as a series of interconnected systems each affecting the others on varying scales.

The destruction of prairie habitat can increase the sediment load in local rivers destroying diverse aquatic habitats as well. Prairie destruction also heavily impacts on the regions ability to process and hold the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, loading more onto other systems, stressing the larger carbon cycle. Prairies can store much more carbon than almost any other ecosystem (Myanishi, 1997).

A sunny day at a young restoration plot.

Efforts to conserve local ecosystems and habitat have been receiving stronger commitment in the recent years. To help facilitate and direct this commitment the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation has begun Project C.A.R.E. (Carolinian Action Restoration and Education). This project is directed at the restoration of the native habitats within the "zone of co-operation" of the Reserve, creating deeper cooperation between local communities, their schools, and the environment. Habitat and systems conservation and restoration are important lessons to be learned in understanding the interconnectedness of our environment and why we should ‘Think globally and Act locally'.