The impact of native large herbivores and fire on the vegetation dynamics in the Cape renosterveld shrublands of South Africa: insights from a six‐yr field experiment

Abstract

Renosterveld – a vegetation complex within the Fynbos Biome of South Africa – occurs in multiple structural states, including shrublands and various types of grasslands, lawns and herb-lands. Uncertainty exists over whether the present unpalatable shrubland state might have replaced a historical grassland state. Settled agriculture characterized by fixed burning cycles and overgrazing by livestock has been blamed for this putative change. However, the disappearance of native large herbivores has also been implicated. Understanding the drivers responsible for putative state changes is of importance for conservation of this critically endangered vegetation type.