Restoring U.S. Ecosystems

The Bezos Earth Fund supports the restoration of degraded land in the United States, focusing on landscapes that can deliver the most significant carbon sequestration, biodiversity protection, and community benefits. Grasslands such as the Northern Great Plains are among the most endangered and least protected ecosystems on the planet and are home to some of the fastest declining species in North America.

In the Northern Great Plains, NFWF will support local partners to restore and protect imperiled grasslands through native grass replanting, invasive species removal, controlled burns, and fencing and enclosures to control grazing. In addition to carbon and biodiversity benefits, these strategies strengthen Indigenous buffalo culture and food sovereignty by restoring and improving grassland habitats on reservations and other Tribal lands.

Longleaf Pine forests are some of the most biodiverse landscapes in the world, but in the U.S. have been reduced to five percent of their historical range. Through local partners, NFWF will restore and maintain longleaf pine systems through tree and understory plantings with native species, thinning over-crowded forest stands, prescribed burns, and species-specific interventions to help at-risk species, including the red-cockaded woodpecker and gopher tortoise.