Elephants destroy trees, and in the process change habitats and even landscapes for other species.
These changes are perceived as adverse for conservation objectives, and have been the justification for culling programmes directed at these large species within national parks. However, the intermediate disturbance hypothesis suggests that to some degree such impacts could be benefical for biodiversity. I have gone further by suggesting that the elimination of megaherbivores by human hunting towards the end of the Pleistocene was the key factor precipitating extinctions among other large mammal species, through consequent habitat changes. In evaluating megaherbivore impacts on vegetation, we need to look beyond the damage incurred by plants to consider the spatial pattern of such impacts within ecosystems. How to achieve a stable coexistence between megaherbivore populations and vegetation resources for other species remains a formidable challenge for park managers.