Elephants at Mpala Research Centre help keep the soil fertile even though cattle remove nutrients. By Erik StokstadThe iconic wildlife of the African savanna—zebras, gazelles, and other grazers—has for decades been under pressure from some unnatural rivals.
Ranchers’ cattle compete with local wildlife for food and water, and they starve much of the soil of nutrients. But a new study suggests wildlife and cattle can coexist—if elephants remain to help distribute nutrients into the soil, via their poop and their habit of knocking over trees.Cattle ranching, which has been intensifying across the savanna, can lead to overgrazing, eroding and impoverishing the soil and helping shrubs invade the grasslands.