Proposed Biodiversity Credit Pilot Program a First for Tribes, Healthy Grasslands
A new conservation pilot program will offer industry leaders the opportunity to contribute to the return of bison to tribal lands, which will in turn contribute to the health of grasslands. The Endless Prairie Buffalo Project is the first of its kind in the United States and will open the door for more grasslands to be managed under the Buffalo Program of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck. The program will provide a reliable measurement of the restorative impact that Plains bison have toward grassland biodiversity. It will be managed by longtime Fort Peck partner Defenders of Wildlife, and guided by experts in conservation finance at the Environmental Policy Innovation Center and Kingfisher Parker.
“This restoration project represents a significant step toward revitalizing both our ecosystem and our cultural heritage,” said Fort Peck Executive Board Chairman, Justin Gray Hawk. “It’s about creating a sustainable future for the buffalo and our community.”
The program will offer biodiversity credits as a vehicle for supporters to finance the addition and enhancement of grasslands dedicated to the Tribes’ buffalo herd, while also improving the cultural and spiritual connections of the Fort Peck Indigenous community to an animal that once roamed in the millions across the plains. Over the past century, 360 million acres — 60% of native grasslands — have vanished, with another 125 million acres at risk from agricultural interests and encroaching woodlands. The degradation and fragmentation of grassland habitat have been of major consequence to native wildlife, including a 53% loss of grasslands-native birds across the plains.