 Alien ant species have driven back native ants.The alien ants eat the elaiosome on the spot, so that the seed is not protected against consumption or fire.Due to the proximity of housing areas, wildfires in its range are suppressed and so allow the fynbos to develop into a thicket less suitable for the grey tree pincushion, causing the fires when they eventually occur to be hotter because of more biomass, which results in more plants dying.