Abstract
The impacts of elephants on woodlands have triggered concerns that elephants were converting woodlands to grasslands in African savannas leading to the loss of biodiversity. Therefore, the objectives of the study are to identify the causes, processes and impacts of woodland conversion by elephants and thereby propose a guideline for formulating management strategies. The study is conducted through reviewing published documents on elephant-woodland interaction, factors, mechanisms and processes of woodland conversion to grasslands and impacts on biodiversity have been identified. The study reveals that: 1) the large nutritional and energetic requirements by elephants and high elephant population densities are two driving forces that may cause elephants to convert woodlands to grasslands; 2) the process of woodland conversion is not just elephant-tree interaction, but usually included other agents such as fires, droughts or other herbivores. Woodlands are converted to grasslands or scrublands because elephants, fires, droughts and other herbivores prevent recruitment of tree to larger class sizes and regeneration of seedlings of woody plants; 3) whereas there are few studies that support biodiversity decline due to impacts of elephants on woodlands, there are studies that indicate woodland disturbance by elephants have benefited and increased diversity of other species. It is concluded that woodland disturbance by elephant is not always detrimental to biodiversity, but may create heterogeneity and suitable habitats for other species. In formulating management strategies, considerations must be made to elephant densities, other agents that interact or work with elephants in woodland conversion and the benefits of woodland changes to biodiversity due to elephants.
Highlights
The African elephant (Loxodonta Africana (Blumenbach)) is considered a mega-herbivore and keystone species whose activities and extinction can cause profound changes or extinctions in ecosystems [1] [2]
All woodland disturbances that resulted in conversion to grasslands occurred when elephant densities were within the above reported density range
High elephant densities in most African wildlife protected areas are due to compression of elephant habitats resulting from human population growth and activities
Summary
The African elephant (Loxodonta Africana (Blumenbach)) is considered a mega-herbivore and keystone species whose activities and extinction can cause profound changes or extinctions in ecosystems [1] [2]. Despite the ecological importance of elephants in opening up forests and woodlands and creating favourable habitats for other species, there has been much focus on woodland conversion by elephants that leads to biodiversity loss [2] This is probably because most studies on elephant-woodland interaction have been conducted in areas where elephant impacts on woody vegetation are drastic. The woodland conversion by elephants in protected areas has presented a major concern and challenge to the conservationists and wildlife managers in African savannas. This is mainly because conservation of biodiversity is usually the highest priority function of protected areas and can be highly compromised if issues of woodland conversion are not appropriately addressed. The three study objectives are: 1) to identify the causes and processes of woodland conversion by elephants; 2) to determine the impacts of woodland conversion by elephants on biodiversity and 3) to propose factors that can be considered in formulating strategies for addressing woodland conversion by elephants
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