Non arable land sustains biological diversity both above and below ground and houses the vast majority of life forms.

There are billions of organisms including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes in just a teaspoon of soil in addition to arthropods, earthworms, spiders and insects.

Grasslands are among the most species-rich habitats on Earth and may even dwarf tropical rainforests in terms of species diversity. Healthy grassland soils support extensive above ground biodiversity from a huge array of plant species including grasses, shrubs, trees, insects, birds, wildlife and farmed livestock all of which interact.

Grassland ecosystems have been threatened by land use change for intensification and by woody encroachment and weeds, which result from overgrazing, fire suppression, grassland abandonment, nitrogen pollution, and increased atmospheric CO2.

Regenerative management practices that combine the agro-ecological component of ‘space for nature’ with active management of soil and grassland species diversity through grazing management and/or silvopasture promote biodiversity above and below the ground, in turn promoting livestock, human and ecological health.