But, by giving nature what it needs through controlled burning, protection of native species and careful restoration, our prairies will prosper again and biodiversity will be preserved. There are hundreds of plants and animal species that are part of the prairie, and part of its biodiversity. And, like these endangered species, prairie biodiversity itself cannot make a comeback on its own. But habitat reduction and alteration due to development of subdivisions and strip malls is not, as people might think, the biggest detrimental impact on the prairie. Rather, it is habitat degradation caused by lack of fire.
Prairies are dependent on fire.
No fire means no prairies. On original prairie landscapes, lightning initiated fires. Over millions of years, prairies adapted to and thrived upon these heaven-sent fires. For the past 10,000 years, people have burned the prairies. They also protected certain areas from burning, thus loosely managing the landscape.