ELECASE: Elephants Engineering of Dry Woodland and Consequences for Carbon Sequestration

Abstract

In semi-arid savanna ecosystems such as Hwange National Park, African elephants (Loxodonta africana) act as powerful ecosystem engineers, transforming woodland structure through browsing, tree felling, and bark stripping. These modifications can shift vegetation dynamics, alter habitat heterogeneity, and influence ecosystem processes, including carbon storage. The EleCaSE project investigates how elephant-driven changes in dry woodlands affect above- and below-ground carbon sequestration, particularly under increasing pressures from climate change and high elephant densities.

Using a combination of remote sensing, field vegetation surveys, and carbon stock assessments, the project quantifies how elephant impacts on tree density, species composition, and biomass translate into changes in carbon storage across landscapes. By linking herbivore-driven vegetation change to carbon dynamics, EleCaSE aims to clarify the role of megafauna in regulating ecosystem carbon balance and provide critical insights for conservation strategies that integrate biodiversity protection with climate mitigation in African savannas.