Background

Cathedral Peak, situated within northern uKhahlamba Drakensberg is an ideal research site for the Grasslands-Forests-Wetlands node. The upper region of the South African Drakensberg is largely protected and is considered a relatively "pristine" environment. However, the site contains multiple land uses under commercial and communal land tenures which are not "pristine". Interactions between these land uses and the environment have cascading consequences for the well-being of South Africans and biodiversity. In the "pristine" environment, where research activities have been ongoing for over half a century, long-term observations are indicating how external anthropogenic factors (e.g. those related to climate change) are changing the environment. Other land uses are dependent on the ecosystem services of the protected area and influence biodiversity and ecosystem service provision themselves.