Canadian prairie grasslands shrinking faster than rainforest

We’ve all heard about the disappearance of arctic ice or the shrinking of the Amazonian rainforest – but one group of conservationists says it’s time to look in our own backyard.

Nature Conservancy Canada said prairie grasslands are shrinking, with more than 70 per cent now being used for agriculture or industry.

They say, by comparison, just 20 per cent of the Amazon has been converted for other uses.

According to Scott Stephens with Ducks Unlimited, people don’t get outraged close to home because they aren’t seeing the bigger picture of change.

“When you go from forest to a canola field the next year, not a lot of people notice,” Stephens said.

“Once people start to notice and care that’s when I think it will change,” he said.

– With files from The Canadian Press