There’s a lot to love about grasslands — the sound of the wind blowing through them, the way the colors change with the seasons, how the sun lights up the valley, and the flowers that bloom in the spring and summer.

But in many ways, we’ve taken these open spaces for granted, using them for our own purposes, from building houses to grazing livestock and planting crops. And in terms of conservation efforts, grasslands have been a bit neglected, compared to ecosystems like tropical rainforests.

But increasingly, scientists are paying more attention to grasslands as spaces that have to be protected. On this episode, we look at the role of grasslands as habitats, their importance to preserving biodiversity, and how they can help fight climate change.

We hear stories about how scientists came to appreciate the value of grasslands — and their attempts to protect what’s left, a spicy effort by researchers in Montana to fight a small but mighty opponent, a recent effort to reintroduce cheetahs into India’s grasslands, and how exactly you go about growing a lush green soccer field in a place where grass is definitely not native.

Also heard on this week’s episode: