02763naa a2200445 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200200006002400270008010000140010724500770012126000090019850003520020752012180055965300400177765300170181765300160183465300180185065300110186865300170187965300220189665300180191865300320193670000230196870000190199170000160201070000150202670000140204170000170205570000140207270000140208670000160210070000160211670000170213270000190214970000180216870000170218670000160220377300980221910650522025-02-14       2025    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  aeISBN 1442-99937 a10.1111/aec.700312DOI1 aGUIDO, A.  aUruguayan grasslandsba threatened natural asset.h[electronic resource]  c2025  aArticle history: Received 25 October 2024, Revised 20 December 2024, Accepted 20 January 2025, First published 30 January 2025 -- Corresponding author: Guido, A.; Instituto de Ecología y Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay; email:aguido@fcien.edu.uy -- Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc.  aABSTRACT.- Grasslands are often mis-defined, mainly due to the legacy of colonial narratives in several regions, which have described them as deforested, unproductive or wastelands. They have been largely ignored in global conservation and protection policies, leading to increased exploitation. Although there is much accumulated evidence on the ecosystem services that grasslands provide, in Uruguay, this ecosystem is still neglected in parts of society and for most sustainability policies. Twenty percent of Uruguayan grasslands have been replaced by other land uses (crops and forestry) in recent decades. Nevertheless, large areas of natural grasslands still remain and their preservation is crucial. The aim of this work was to show the value of Uruguayan grasslands through a brief review of their natural history and their multiple natural assets (i.e., biodiversity, ecosystem services, cultural identity and economic activities). We also outline some of the advances in public policy initiatives, but emphasise that such policies are critically underdeveloped in terms of conservation, threatening the existence of grasslands in Uruguay for future generations. © 2025 Ecological Society of Australia.  aÁREA DE PASTURAS Y FORRAJES - INIA  aBiodiversity  aBioma Pampa  aCAMPO NATURAL  aCampos  aConservation  aGrassy ecosystems  aPublic policy  aRío de la Plata grasslands1 aLÓPEZ-MARSICO, L.1 aRODRÍGUEZ, C.1 aGALLEGO, F.1 aLEZAMA, F.1 aBAEZA, S.1 aPAÑELLA, P.1 aRÍOS, C.1 aCOSTA, B.1 aPEZZANI, F.1 aGARCÍA, S.1 aPIÑEIRO, G.1 aFERNÁNDEZ, G.1 aTOMMASINO, A.1 aMELLO, A. L.1 aPARUELO, J.  tAustral Ecology, February 2025, Volume 50, Issue 2, e70031. https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.70031