Grasslands in the Central Caucasus are being damaged by overgrazing, so scientists studied 126 plots to figure out how to tell if a grassland is in bad shape. They found that as grasslands get worse, the grass gets shorter, there's less food for animals, and different plants start growing. By looking at grass height, forage species coverage, grazing-resistant species coverage, and fresh herbage yield, they can tell how degraded a grassland is. Grasslands in good shape have tall grass and lots of food, while degraded ones have short grass and less food. This helps land managers know when a grassland needs help.