<p>This paper critically examines the factors contributing to the erosion of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in the conservation and management of savanna ecosystem services in South Africa. Situated within a broader historical and political ecology lens, the study foregrounds how colonialism, apartheid-era governance, modernization, and the dominance of Western scientific paradigms have disrupted indigenous ontologies, weakened traditional authority structures, and reshaped local ecological practices. Drawing on qualitative data from 47 participants - including elders, youth, traditional healers, tribal leaders, and biodiversity officers, the study employs thematic analysis to reveal how TEK erosion is experienced differentially across generations, gender, educational levels, and occupational roles. Findings demonstrate that TEK is not merely fading, but actively displaced by institutionalized scientific conservation, shifting livelihoods, digital influence, religious transformation, and land restitution conflicts. The paper argues that the erosion of TEK is not only an epistemological loss but a form of ontological and ecological disconnection, undermining community-based stewardship of savanna ecosystems. Theoretically, the study engages with critiques of Western Science and Modernization Theory to explain how TEK is delegitimized in contemporary conservation frameworks, while also pointing to possibilities for knowledge pluralism, intergenerational revival, and decolonized environmental governance. The paper calls for a rethinking of conservation not as a technocratic endeavour but as a culturally rooted, spiritually grounded, and socially inclusive process.</p>