The Buffalo
Ecological and Cultural Keystone
The Buffalo are an indispensable component of the American landscape. The Buffalo sustain life in grassland environments and are deeply embedded in Native American culture and society.
As a large-bodied mammal, Buffalo promote plant diversity. Buffalo wallow, spread seeds, shed hair and fertilize the land.
Migratory bison—through grazing in large herd numbers—modify the structure of the landscape to benefit habitat and wildlife. They "surf" the green wave as they move across the landscape.
Buffalo play a fundamental role in activating the carbon cycle and mitigating climate change. By migrating over large distances, they graze and help store atmospheric carbon into grass and soil.
Buffalo grazing supports burrowing mammals like prairie dogs and ferrets, which in tun attracts birds, insects and predators.
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​"Virtually every bird species that breeds in bison habitat uses shed hair as nest lining." The Ecological Buffalo
Buffalo help open up and sustain grasslands environments.​​
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