Impact of domesticated African elephants Loxodonta africana on Natal bushveld

Browse preferences of African elephants Loxodonta africana in Natal bushveld which had not experienced elephant utilisation since 1860 were determined and used to anticipate likely changes in the woody vegetation community following elephant re-introduction. Elephants were observed to feed on 31 species of trees and woody shrubs during the course of the study but their efforts were concentrated on 10 species for which over 80% of the feeding events and 85% of the bites taken were recorded. Generally, diet selection was for Acacia caffra and broad-leafed woodland species belonging to later successional stages whilst earlier successional species, such as A. nilotica, were less utilised. During the course of the study, 25 trees were pushed over. Eighty per cent of these were members of later successional stages. Single-stemmed trees were more often felled than multi-stemmed species. Our results suggest that the use of Natal bushveld vegetation by elephants in the absence of fire will result in a dense, early successional, multi-stemmed stand of woody species instead of an open grassland or a broad-leafed open woodland community.