Increasing densities of Leucosidea sericea have minimal effects on grazing capacity and soil characteristics of a high-altitude communal rangeland at Vuvu, South Africa.

Increasing densities of woody plants, known as woody plant encroachment, is a phenomenon affecting savannas and grasslands in many parts of the world. Yet, these ecosystems sustain a significant proportion of the human population through the provision of ecosystem services, such as forage for livestock and wildlife production. While low to medium altitude rangelands are encroached by many species of woody plants, high altitude rangelands in southern Africa show increasing densities of Leucosidea sericea, a woody shrub or small to medium-sized tree.