The Vankervelsvlei wetland is situated along the southern Cape coast of South Africa, aboutc.5 km inland at an elevation of 152 m asl, surrounded by a lithified aeolian dune of Middleto Late Pleistocene age (Illenberger 1996) (Figure 1A, B). The site falls within the year roundrainfall zone, with moisture being delivered from both temperate and tropical climate systems.Vankervelsvlei is an enclosed and endorheic wetland that is today covered with a floatingvegetation mat primarily comprising several species of Cyperaceae, as well as some Bryophytesand Pteridophytes (Irving and Meadows 1997; Quick et al. 2016). The surrounding dune(s) arecovered by pine plantations (Pinus) with scrub forest elements (e.g. Cassine,Euclea,Kigge-laria) occupying the area between the plantations and the wetland. Along the wetland edges,vegetation predominantly consists of fynbos pioneer communities (Erica, Restionaceae, Leuca-dendron (Proteaceae), Passerina) (Quick et al. 2016). Northward of Vankervelsvlei, SouthernAfrotemperate forest is present in patches, largely represented by Ocotea bullata,Olea capen-sis,Afrocarpus falcatus and Podocarpus latifolius (in the pollen record we cannot differentiatebetween these species, as such these are all labelled Podocarpus for the purpose of this paper) (Midgley et al. 2004).