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Savannas are characterized by the coexistence of two contrasting plant life‐forms: woody and herbaceous vegetation. During the last decades, there has been a global trend of an increase in woody cover and the spread of shrubs and trees into areas that were previously dominated by grasses. This process, termed bush encroachment, is associated with severe losses of ecosystem functions and typically difficult to reverse. It is assumed to be an example of a critical transition between two alternative stable states. Overgrazing due to unsustainable rangeland management has been identified as one of the main causes of this transition, as it can trigger several self‐reinforcing feedback loops. However, the dynamic role of grazing within such feedback loops has received less attention. We used a set of coupled differential equations to describe the competition between shrubs and grasses, as well as plant biomass consumption via grazing and browsing. Grazers were assumed to receive a certain level of care from farmers, so that grazer densities emerge dynamically from the combined effect of vegetation abundance and farmer support. We quantified all self‐reinforcing and self‐dampening feedback loops at play and analyzed their relative importance in shaping system (in‐)stability. Bistability, the presence of a grass dominated and a shrub dominated state, emerges for intermediate levels of farmer support due to positive feedback that arises from competition between shrubs and grasses and from herbivory. We furthermore demonstrate that disturbances, such as drought events, trigger abrupt transitions from the grass dominated to the shrub dominated state and that the system becomes more susceptible to disturbances with increasing farmer support. Our results thus highlight the potential of interaction networks in combinations with feedback loop analysis for improving our understanding of critical transitions in general, and bush encroachment in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining the resilience and functionality of savannas is key to sustaining the ecosystem services they provide. This maintenance is largely dependent on the resilience of savannas to stressors, such as prolonged droughts. The resilience to drought is largely determined by the interaction of herbivores and the functional composition of vegetation. So far, our understanding and ability to predict the response of savannas to drought under different types of rangeland use and as a function of vegetation composition are still limited.In this study, we used the ecohydrological, spatially‐explicit savanna model EcoHyD to determine if the resilience of a savanna rangeland towards prolonged droughts can be enhanced by the choice of rangeland use type (grazer‐dominated, mixed‐feeders or browser‐dominated) and animal density. We evaluated the ability of a Namibian savanna system to withstand droughts and recover from droughts based on its perennial grass cover and the overall species composition.Generally, we determined a low resilience under high grazer densities. Most importantly, we found that functional diversification of herbivores and plants acted as resilience insurance against droughts, leading to greater resistance and recovery of perennial grasses. In particular, a higher proportion of herbivores allowed for higher resilience, probably also due to a short‐term switch to more drought‐resistant or unpalatable species.In this case, herbivore diversification was of high self‐regulatory value by reestablishing trophic complexity, reducing the need for additional management interventions.Synthesis and applications: Savanna systems will be more resistant to drought if (i) a dense perennial grass cover is maintained, protecting the topsoil from heat‐induced water losses and erosion, encompassing functionally important species that are particularly well adapted to water stress and that are palatable, if (ii) the grazing pressure is adjusted to the productivity of the system, and (iii) the herbivore community includes browsers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]