The Library

In this 2015 whitepaper by the Savory Institute, grasslands are discussed as an important carbon sink for addressing the climate crisis.

In this 2015 whitepaper, the Savory Institute details the various components of Holistic Planned Grazing (HPG), as well as the differences between HPG and other rotational grazing systems.

This whitepaper, authored by the Savory Institute in 2015, discusses how Holistic Planned Grazing, if applied across global grasslands, can contribute towards bringing atmospheric CO2 to pre-industrial levels.

In Defending Beef, longtime vegetarian Nicolette Hahn Niman argues that cattle are not inherently bad for either the Earth or our own nutritional health. In fact, properly managed livestock play an essential role in maintaining grassland ecosystems by functioning as surrogates for herds of wild ruminants that once covered the globe.

This white paper reviews the literature on soil organic carbon losses and potential gains through regenerative management. It finds that most literature is limited to areas considered in “agriculture” and that rangelands may be largely under represented both in terms of of losses and drawdown potential. It argues that with regenerative rangeland practices, such as Holistic Planned Grazing, the total capture of atmospheric carbon may be much higher than previously considered. An upward estimate of 88 to 210 gigatons (billions of tons) of carbon (88-210 GtC) representing a total drawdown of 25 to 60 tons per hectare on 3500 million hectares of grasslands worldwide is postulated as achievable through proper rangeland/grassland management.

Journalist and bestselling author Kristin Ohlson makes an elegantly argued, passionate case for "our great green hope"—a way in which we can not only heal the land but also turn atmospheric carbon into beneficial soil carbon—and potentially reverse global warming.

Adam Sacks of Bio4Climate pens a lively and detailed discussion on livestock, climate, and the need to establish healthy soils as a means of managing excess carbon in the atmosphere.

This whitepaper by Seth Itzkan (2013) addresses some of the common misconceptions about Savory's work.