Understanding the cause of late Quaternary mammal extinctions across the continents is the subject of intense debate. These extinctions have captured the attention of Quaternary scientists, in part because – for the first time in earth history – it is possible that humans played a decisive role. In the global context, the losses in Africa have received little attention and are considered to be poorly understood. However, understanding the African losses is not only important to the global extinction debate, but has great potential to inform contemporary conservation efforts. This presentation explores the late Quaternary record of extinctions and ecological change in Southern Africa’s Cape Floristic Region (CFR). A growing body of evidence provides a clear case for climate-driven extinctions, with little reason to implicate human activities in the losses. The long-term perspective of ecosystem dynamics in the CFR is directly relevant to the management of local flagship species and the feasibility of potential reintroductions in the face of global climate change.