Grasslands are considered one of the most biologically diverse habitats on Earth, home to a multitude of insects, reptiles, birds and mammals, many of which depend on one another for their survival.

The integrity of grassland ecosystems everywhere has been compromise primarily by the conversion of these ecosystems to agriculture, and more recently, the growth of towns and cities.
As a result many species are seeing a rapid decline.

In North American, the Great Basin and High Plains
Are threatened and losing ground. Prairie dogs are just one of the species that are impacted, but as a
keystone species, the loss of prairie dogs results in a loss of other species. Most notable are the mountain plover, swift fox and black-footed ferret.

Example of one: