The Serengeti in the Savanna
Sadaf Lakhia & Justin Wu
Historical State
The Serengeti is
one out of Tanzania’s fifteen national parks, and is also a minor part of
Kenya; all of which is located in Eastern Africa. This park was created in 1951 after verifying the park’s
protected area status. Today, the
Serengeti has an area of 27,000 km2 and is positioned at 1,600m to
1,800m above sea level, since it is a part of the high interior plateau of East
Africa. This park is part of the tropical grassland biome or also known as a
savanna. Savannas are mainly covered with grasses with scattered amounts of
trees. In a savanna, there is typically little precipitation. The Serengeti
experiences orographic precipitation from the Meru-Kilimanjaro mountain range,
further contributing to the climate’s wet and dry seasons. Therefore, when rain
does fall, long periods of rain fall between March and May, while short periods
of rain falls between November and December.
Plants in the
ecosystem have become adapted to the droughts and fires that occur, which is
why there is an extensive root system in the ecosystem. During the wet season, plants grow very
quickly due to the nutrient rich soil and due to the suppression of fire.
However, during the dry season, fire is what allows these plants to burn and
prevent the overgrowing of plants. The Serengeti contains the largest number of animal species
and animal populations in Eastern Africa. Today, the Serengeti contains the
greatest concentration of large predators as well as migratory herds. For
example many carnivorous megafauna like lions and cheetahs exist in this
ecosystem today due to competition with other animals. Herbivores like
wildebeest and zebras migrate long distances across the Serengeti. Overall, the
park itself is protected in order to maintain the ecosystem, and it is one of
the few places that has not be altered from the past.
Current Human Impacts
The Serengeti is
the most developed park in Tanzania. Due to the large amount of wildlife, the park’s
tourism is becoming more prevalent in the ecosystem. Tourism in national parks
such as the Serengeti is an economic benefit to the Tanzanian government;
indicating that changes in the ecosystem will occur to accommodate the demands
of tourism. The influx of visitors creates a chain effect because more and more
safari jeeps, roads and ranger posts will be needed within the national park.
Along with changes in the landscape, more rangers and employees are hired to
accommodate the increasing amount of tourists. While the overall park is
preserved due to its status as a national park, the increasing profits from
tourism may slowly alter the ecosystem. Simultaneously, poaching and illegal
hunting from the locals has a big impact on the ecosystem. The extensive
hunting of buffalo in 1977 has made it difficult for the buffalo to recovering
to their original numbers. Illegal hunting also has its benefits, as many
people are willing to buy these dead animals on the black market. Elephants
face hunting for the demand of their tusks. Humans indirectly affect the Serengeti because many
locals have disease carrying dogs that affect the wildlife.
While tourism may
have negative effects on the ecosystem, tourists visiting for the safari
wildlife experience also has positive effects on preserving the national park.
Tourism generates 8.5 million U.S. dollars, illustrating that tourism has
become a large part of Tanzania’s economy. The profit from entrance fees and
safari services fund management of the park, but also provides funds to create
new parks in other parts of Tanzania. The industry also creates jobs, further enhancing local
societies. Since tourism is such a
large facet in the Tanzanian economy, wildlife is necessary to continue generating
profits. This encourages the local communities to preserve the area and to keep
the ecosystem from cultivation or alterations.
Future Prospects
The Tanzanian
government is willing to construct a road through the middle of the Serengeti
national park. This road would provide better transportation and link remote
communities to improve economic development, but ultimately creates immediate
effects on the ecosystem within the national park. Building a road would then
bring more than just tourists into the national park, and diminish the
boundaries set between the public and the wildlife. While tourism does slightly
contribute to changing the natural environment in the Serengeti ecosystem,
tourism also protects to keep the Serengeti as a national park. However, alternatives have been
proposed for the road that might be built through the center of the Serengeti
that may actually have more economic benefits compared to the first road
planned.
The national
parks in Africa are some of the scarcest places on the globe that are
unaffected by the advancements in technology. Therefore, the tourism industry will continue to grow as the
world becomes more and more advanced. However, preserving areas such as the
Serengeti will become of more importance to the global community as other areas
may disappear. Therefore, tourism will also be an outlet for more awareness and
the importance of preservation.
Improvements That Can Be Made by Humans
Savanna’s today
are currently being turned into rangeland to raise domesticated animals such as
cattle. However, preserving the ecosystem is what brings tourism to the
Serengeti, so in order to keep visitors and generate revenue, more land can be
preserved rather than being turned into domesticated areas. Ecotourism is a
possible solution to preserve the area.
Ecotourism
concentrates on promoting conservation, improving local communities and
enriching intrinsic understanding.
This method of tourism strives to reduce human impacts while increasing
awareness of the environment and local cultures and communities; both of which
are crucial for preservation in the long term. It also propagates financial
benefits for conservation of the environment. Therefore, ecotourism also gives reason to enforce poaching
laws and protect the wildlife within the park. Rather than poaching, the
national park generates revenue from visitors as well as creates jobs for
locals, reducing the need to hunt. Revenue generated also can be used to
preserve the park and create more as stated in the human impact section. Ecotourism emphasizes less interference
with the ecosystem is the best way to preserve the park for as long as
possible. The Serengeti ecosystem is constantly changing and therefore
attempting to maintain its current status will end up hindering and harming the
park. Preservation and the future
of the ecosystem will only improve if conservation authorities accommodate
these natural modifications the ecosystem constantly experiences. Ultimately, the best form of
preservation is allowing the ecosystem to undergo these natural processes.
References
http://serengeti.org/download/ Tourism.pdf
http://www.theecologist.org/ News/news_round_up/563507/ tanzanias_serengeti_highway_ plan_could_destroy_major_ carbon_sink.html
http://blueplanetbiomes.org/ african_savanna_plant_page.htm
http://books.google.com/books?id=YRybBlahRGUC&ei=HUy9UKm_CongkgSS44Fo
http://blueplanetbiomes.org/
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