African ecosystems have a long evolutionary association with fire, large mammal herbivory and drought . The maintenance of biodiversity depends on natural disturbance regimes. Natural regrowth of savanna plant biomass in southern Africa compensated for biomass removal through human activities , and rapid recovery occurred after the 2014-2016 extreme drought . During the same drought event, browsing and mixed feeder herbivores were resilient, but grazers declined by approximately 60% and were highly dependent on drought refugia . African tropical forests remained a carbon sink through the record drought and temperature experienced in the 2015-2016 El Niño, indicating resilience in the face of extreme environmental conditions . This is likely due to the presence of drought-tolerant species and floristic and functional shifts in tree species assemblages . This resilience indicates that there is the capacity to recover from disturbances and short-term change. However, resilience has limits and beyond certain points, change can lead to irreversible shifts to different states .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report