Grasslands are the least protected ecosystem in the United States. A World Wildlife Fund report shows that nearly 1.8 million acres of grasslands were destroyed across the U.S. and Canadian Great Plains in 2020 alone. As climate change models predict drier conditions across much of the American West, carbon projects help protect critical prairie habitats and ranching livelihoods by creating conservation agreements and an additional revenue stream for family ranches.

The Climate Trust aims to increase access to the carbon markets for family-owned and operated ranches, which historically have not been able to easily access the markets because of high technical barriers and the relatively small size of holdings. By breaking down these barriers, we can expand the protection of working lands and ranches.