▁sett lers ▁was ▁explo ited ▁r uth lessly ▁until ▁only ▁small ▁patch es ▁remained . ▁Currently , ▁South ▁African ▁hard wood ▁trees ▁like ▁real ▁yellow wood ▁( Pod oc arp us ▁lat if ol ius ), ▁st ink wood ▁( O c ote a ▁b ull ata ), ▁and ▁South ▁African ▁black ▁iron wood ▁( O lea ▁la ur ifolia ) ▁are ▁under ▁government ▁protection . ▁Statistics ▁from ▁the ▁South ▁African ▁Environment al ▁Affairs ▁department ▁show ▁a ▁record ▁ 1 2 1 5 ▁rh inos ▁have ▁been ▁killed ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 4 . ▁ ▁Cl imate ▁change ▁is ▁expected ▁to ▁bring ▁considerable ▁war ming ▁and ▁dry ing ▁to ▁much ▁of ▁this ▁already ▁semi - ar id ▁region , ▁with ▁greater ▁frequency ▁and ▁intensity ▁of ▁extreme ▁weather ▁events ▁such ▁as ▁heat w aves , ▁flo oding ▁and ▁dr ought . ▁According ▁to ▁computer ▁generated ▁climate ▁mod elling ▁produced ▁by ▁the ▁South ▁African ▁National ▁B iod iversity ▁Institute ▁parts ▁of ▁southern ▁Africa ▁will ▁see ▁an ▁increase ▁in ▁temperature ▁by ▁about ▁one ▁degree ▁Cel si us ▁along ▁the ▁coast ▁to ▁more ▁than ▁four ▁degrees ▁Cel si us ▁in ▁the ▁already ▁hot ▁hinter land ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Northern ▁Cape ▁in ▁late ▁spring ▁and ▁summ ert ime ▁by ▁ 2 0 5 0 . ▁The ▁Cape ▁Flor al ▁Kingdom , ▁identified ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁global ▁b iod iversity ▁hot sp ots , ▁is ▁predicted ▁to ▁be ▁hit ▁very ▁hard ▁by ▁climate ▁change . ▁Dr ought , ▁increased ▁intensity ▁and ▁frequency ▁of ▁fire ▁and ▁clim bing