South Africa has lost a large area of natural habitat in the last four decades, primarily due to overpopulation, sprawling development patterns and deforestation during the 19th century. The country had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.94/10, ranking it 112th globally out of 172 countries. South Africa is one of the worst affected countries in the world when it comes to invasion by alien species with many (e.g., black wattle, Port Jackson willow, ''Hakea'', ''Lantana'' and ''Jacaranda'') posing a significant threat to the native biodiversity and the already scarce water resources. The original temperate forest found by the first European settlers was exploited ruthlessly until only small patches remained. Currently, South African hardwood trees like real yellowwood (''Podocarpus latifolius''), stinkwood (''Ocotea bullata''), and South African black ironwood (''Olea laurifolia'') are under government protection. Statistics from the South African Department of Environmental Affairs show a record 1,215 rhinos were killed in 2014.