Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations

Guest post by Clemson student Olivia Griffin

Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability can look different for all communities, such as sustainability of South Carolina compared to Montana. In the prairies of Montana, sustainability is used to maintain the native grasslands, endangered species along with native species, and local communities. 

In the prairies there are multiple organizations working to sustain these ecosystems. Nature conservancy's mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. They are constantly trying to sustain these natural systems to how they used to be before people began to farm and over-graze the prairies. 

At first I saw the prairie lands as not very important because they weren’t full of lush grasses for cattle to graze on, but through learning and talking to people who are working to conserve these prairies I learned all the grasses and forbs were just as important to the ecosystem and to all the different animals living there. The forages on the prairies is just as nutritious to cattle and buffalo as supplemented hay forage. The prairie to me means something different now than when I originally thought of it. 

After being at the places where there is such diversity and richness of animal species and plant species, I now have a greater understanding of how unique the prairie is and how it is a host for so many different animals that other ecosystems could not inhabit. In the past this landscape was shaped by the buffalo, pronghorn, and other small animals that helped to graze the land and manage the prairie. This prairie now faces the danger of overgrazing due to large cattle operations. Ranchers and conservationists are trying to limit overgrazing through practices such as rotational grazing, but there still has been overgrazing of the land and challenges they have had to face such as drought. In the future ranchers and conservationists are seeking to find ways to preserve the prairie to how they used to be before people began to ruin the landscapes and start plowing the diverse prairies to plant grass for their cattle. 

There are multiple stakeholders in concern with the prairies. There are ranchers, conservationists, farmers, politicians, and the general public. Each entity is unique in the way that they all want different things for the land which can lead to a hard compromise. When conservationists first started to be concerned with the health of the prairies there was skepticism between the community. Many ranchers agree with conservation and looking to preserve the rich land while some farmers could be more concerned with the money side of things and planting grass seed interrupting the natural prairie landscape. This leads to the concern of how plowing the land has large effects on the environment and the animals that inhabit it. 

Science has begun to play a large role in the role of conservation through research. Research creates opportunities to study animals and their habitats in order to be able to convey to the public about the findings and the effects of ranching or farming is having on other animals. Through results of research it is able to bring more concern having larger effects on the public changing their perspective on certain things that before they might have not cared as much about.