Abstract
Large-bodied animals i.e. megafauna, drive ecosystem carbon uptake and storage and thus could present an important contribution to Natural Climate Solutions (NCS). In addition to ecosystem carbon dynamics, megafauna can influence ecosystem biophysical feedbacks through land cover changes and the consequent effects on surface albedo. Using the world’s largest, albeit severely threatened terrestrial grazer white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) as a model, we tested how megafauna loss influenced two important savanna processes (i.e. woody encroachment and fire) in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa. We further tested how the rhino loss driven changes in these two processes further influenced 2) surface albedo and 3) soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and persistence. Our study links rhino loss driven increases in woody encroachment and fire to a decrease in surface albedo with potential consequences on radiative forcing of the regional climate. Rhino driven grazing may also influence SOC stocks and persistence, but mostly indirectly through their impact on woody encroachment and fire. These findings provide novel insights for future NCS that focus on megafauna conservation and restoration.