Introduction

Map of the Serengeti, which also show the protected areas.
Source: http://www.top10zilla.com/item/1591/7/Serengeti/

The Serengeti meaning “extended place” in the Maasai language is volcanic grassland located south of the Kenyan and Tanzanian border. Living up to its name’s meaning, it spans 6,900 miles and consists of the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Maswa Game Reserve, and the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, which together is approximately the size of North Ireland .  On a spatial scale, the Serengeti is important on a global scale but is especially important to Tanzania and Kenya; it has some of the world’s largest populations of animals. It is also very important globally due to the tourism it attracts because of the famous animal migration that takes place. People travel from all over the world to the Serengeti National Park especially for game viewing (7). Though the Serengeti is relatively well-conserved, some of the human impact and unlawful use of the area are a cause for concern.

One of my favorite Serengeti animals: the Giraffes.
Source:http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/animals/petite-giraffes/6540

The Serengeti in the Past

Source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320712000237
What the Serengeti would have looked like before human development.

There are areas of the Serengeti that still resemble what it would have looked like before human impact, and the information can used to be study the effects of human impact (8).

Hyparrhenia which was historically abundant in the Serengeti
Source: http://www.plantzafrica.com/planthij/hyparrhirta.htm

            In one study, researchers took censuses of native areas of savannah in the northern Serengeti and compared them to censuses of areas impacted by agriculture. From looking at these comparisons, they were able to see that historically, the vegetation in the Serengeti was dominated by Acacia and Terminalia trees surrounded by tall perennial grass of the species Hyparrhenia and Themeda. The comparison also revealed that bird population density and variety were much greater before the effect of humans (8).

Historic migration route that still takes place today.

Source: http://psugeo.org/Africa/African%20UNEP%20Atlas

            Animal migration is a key characteristic of the Serengeti that was part of the past and is still part of today due to relatively good conservation. The migration is led by the wildebeests, which are then followed by Thomson’s gazelles and eland . These animals migrated due to needing to find where there was an abundance of food and water. Two animals that used to be prevalent in the Serengeti but are now extremely rare are the black rhinoceros and the African wild dog. Historically, the density of animals migrating was higher than it is today (7). Also, studies have shown that there was much more diversity and density in resident animal species as well. More than just animals, flora was more abundant in the past (8). 

African Wild Dog once prevalent in the Serengeti
Source:http://piperbasenji.blogspot.com/2011/06/wild-african-dogs.html

Black Rhinoceros now endangered.
Source: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/african-animal-pictures26.htm

Eland: migratory animal
Source:http://www.gomag.co.za/kruger/wildlife_and_plants/eland.html

Thomson's Gazelle: migratory animal
Source: http://www.awf.org/content/wildlife/detail/thomsonsgazelle

Wildebeest: migratory animal
Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildebeest

Human Impact on the Serengeti

Sources: http://www.fredhoogervorst.com/photo/30335d/

                                             http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320712000237

Locations where agriculture is beginning to encroach on the protected land of the Serengeti

           Today, the Serengeti ecosystem is about 40% of what it historically was—much of this has to do with the development of agriculture and settlements. There are twenty tribes living around or in close proximity to the protected, and the increasing population causes a need for more development to sustain the population, which in turn deteriorates the Serengeti. For example, agriculture is taking over some parts of the Serengeti National Park and the Maasai Game Reserve, mining settlements are interfering with the migration path of some animals, and mechanized agriculture has taken over where wildebeests would historically breed their calves. This has caused a loss of habitat for many species in the Serengeti (5).

Data Source: Campbell, K.L.I., and M. Loibooki. Game meat hunting in the Serengeti: A problem of sustainable livelihoods. Tech. Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich. 25 Nov. 2012 <http://www.dfid.gov.uk/r4d/PDF/Outputs/R7050a.pdf>.

Although the problem is largely reduced due to more strict control, poaching is still causing a decline in many animal populations in the Serengeti. The table above displays the prevalence of hunting animals as a major contributing factor of illegal human impact. Most of the people that enter the Serengeti and are arrested enter because of hunting. Poaching is the illegal hunting of game, and it remains as a problem for many species in the Serengeti such as the black rhinoceros (7). The animals in the Serengeti are protected, yet illegal poaching still takes place. Many researchers attribute this necessity for poaching to poor economic status among people living near the Serengeti who must use the valuables of the illegal animals to support themselves financially since in some cultures, there is a high demand for rare commodities such as the horn of the black rhinoceros (1). Besides poaching for valuables, bush meat is also a problem. Some people hunt animals illegally to be eaten because they lack protein; this is also attributed to poor economic status and an increase in population near the Serengeti (6).

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/new-highway-would-cut-the-serengeti-in-half

Sometimes tourism can interfere with the animals' natural habitats.        

One aspect of human impact has both pros and cons for the environment; it is tourism. The many benefits of tourism include bringing in revenue for conservation as well as bringing awareness to the cause of conservation. It is important that people visit the Serengeti because many that visit are inspired to be concerned for the well-being of the wildlife in the ecosystem (2). With its benefits, tourism also has some costs. To tour the Serengeti and see the game reserves, roads need to be built for people to drive through the grasslands. These roads can disturb the habitats of some animals and interfere with the migration of some others as well as give more access to poachers. Environmental damage is also a problem due to vehicles; tracks can damage plants and animals as well as erode away grass and further causing soil erosion. There is also a controversy over water usage being diverted to tourists, which leaves plants, animals and indigenous people short of water (9). 

    

      

Conservation in the Present Time

Thankfully, there has been a considerable amount of awareness and concern for preserving the Serengeti, especially in comparison to the unregulated hunting that took place in the early 20^th century (7). The Serengeti was established as a national park in 1951 and as a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve in 1981, and in present time, over 80% of the land in the Serengeti is protected, which contributes greatly to the ecosystem and the organisms that live in it (5). Even under these restrictions, people still hunt illegally, so there have been extra efforts to patrol for illegal poaching (11). Ecotourism is one of the main ways people in the present time help conserve the Serengeti. Through the finances that tourism brings in, the government is able to sustain the Serengeti as a national park and protect much of it (9). Also, with people visiting the ecosystem, awareness is increased which could also possibly be the inspiration for activism. Much of the building of large roads in the Serengeti has been prevented by activists who want to preserve the Serengeti in its natural and undisturbed state.  Through tourism, there is a lot of awareness and attention to the necessity of preserving the Serengeti.  

http://www.sunbirdtours.co.tz/Accommodation/Accommodation.html
Tourism is very popular and it promotes support to conserve the Serengeti

http://www.birdlife.org/community/2011/02/serengeti-highway-plans-shift-towards-bypass/
An example  of activism that promotes the conservation of the Serengeti

Future Impact

      The future state of the Serengeti is ambiguous; it can be improved or deteriorated. Much of this depends on how much support it will continue to get, the population that lives off of its land, and whether or not major roads will be built through it. As of right now, current trends show that support for conserving the Serengeti will remain strong (4). However, settlement and agricultural impacts caused by people who live around the Serengeti may continue to increase. There is a growing population that only continues to increase; these people need to survive, therefore more development is required, which may continue to limit the expanse of the Serengeti (5). The increase in population will probably increase the reliance on poaching and bushmeat. People will continue to poach to gain in finances and will continue to eat bushmeat as a source of protein; therefore many animal species will remain in danger (1,6). There is ambiguity surrounding the building of roads due to the uncertainty of whether or not they will be built, but if they are, there could be a monumental negative impact on all the animals but especially those that migrate. There is an all-weather road being proposed by the Government of Tanzania that will be built through the northern portion of the Serengeti National Park. Building of this road will impose a barrier which can lead to a predicted reduction of the wildebeest population by 35% and side effects of the road include allowing poachers to access wild animals more easily as well as a loss of habitat (3). The concrete evidence shows that there is a high chance that the Serengeti will still be in existence but future prospects show a deterioration of its wonders if human impact is not altered. 

http://predatoraware.wildlifedirect.org/category/masai-mara/page/3/
A Poacher with an elephant; this is one of the biggest problems of the future

http://www.online-advice-service.com/environment/archives/876
Poached Black Rhinoceros horns; the Black Rhinoceros are already endangered
and if poaching does not stop, their situation may worsen.

Solutions

Fixing the poaching and bushmeat problem in the Serengeti requires a multi-step solution. In the short term, more patrolling should be continued since it has already proven to be a good method in reducing the amount of animals killed (10). Employing more people to patrol will not only prevent poaching but also create jobs for local people so that poaching becomes unnecessary because they have a more steady source of income. As shown by a study, the reliance on the Serengeti for poaching and bushmeat by local people is caused by the rapid growth in population and low economic status (1). To solve this would require finances and government support. One hypothetical way to solve this could be diverting more money that comes from tourism towards the local people rather than the big corporations. Since poaching and bushmeat is attributed to poverty and a lack of protein, if these people have more finances maybe they will be able to find more sustainable foods as well as will not need to rely on illegal ways of earning money. Also, money from tourism can be used towards education on population and birth rates so that people can learn about birth control to help reduce the rapidly expanding population. Even though the settlements and agriculture of the local people is an encroaching issue on the Serengeti, it is unethical to remove them from the lands, so hopefully, through supporting the local people financially and through birth control education less of the Serengeti will be impacted.

            Another problem that needs to be fixed is the amount of traffic that goes through the Serengeti as well as the building of roads through the Serengeti. There should be more restriction to how close the vehicles can be to the animals. However,  the major problem that needs to be fixed is the amount of roads that are built. Tourism should only use common roads rather than build new ones that give poachers more access to animals. Also,  the planned Serengeti highway should not be built through the migration path of the wildebeests but should take a longer route that does not interfere with the migrating animals.

            Overall, the current conservation and general support of the Serengeti is very positive, so as long as this extends into the future, the Serengeti is in good shape. Tourism is a very good way that anyone can show support for the Serengeti. Through the support of the local people, the nation, and the world, the Serengeti will continue to thrive as one of the most fascinating and significant ecosystems in the world.

http://africasmartsafaris.co.tz/itineraries/sample-itineraries/
The beautiful Serengeti that can be preserved through diligent conservation efforts.

References

1. Campbell, K.L.I., and M. Loibooki. Game meat hunting in the Serengeti: A problem of sustainable livelihoods. Tech. Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich. 25 Nov. 2012 <http://www.dfid.gov.uk/r4d/PDF/Outputs/R7050a.pdf>.

2. Corfield, Tim. "The Impact of Tourism on the Serengeti Ecosystem." Serengeti. 26 Nov. 2012 <http://serengeti.org/download/Tourism.pdf>.

3. Holdo RM, Fryxell JM, Sinclair ARE, Dobson A, Holt RD (2011) Predicted Impact of Barriers to Migration on the Serengeti Wildebeest Population. PLOS ONE 6(1): e16370. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0016370

4. Kaltenborn, Bjorn P., Julius W. Nyahongo, and Jafari R. Kideghesho. "The attitudes of tourists towards the environmental, social and managerial attributes of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania." Mongabay.com Open Access Journal - Tropical Conservation Science 4 (2011): 132-48. Tropical Conservation Science. Monga BAy. 29 Nov. 2012 <http://tropicalconservationscience.mongabay.com/content/v4/11-06-27_132-148_Kaltenborn.pdf>.

5. Kideghesho, Jafari R., Julius W. Nyahongo, Shombe N. Hassan, Thadeo C. Tarimo, and Nsajigwa E. Mbije. "Factors and Ecological Impacts of Wildlife Habitat Destruction in the Serengeti Ecosystem in Northern Tanzania." AJEAM-RAGEE 11 (2006): 917-32. 25 Nov. 2012 <http://www.tzonline.org/pdf/factorsandecologicalimpactsofwildlifehabitatdestruction.pdf>.

6. Mfunda, Iddi M., and Eivin Roskaft. "Bushmeat hunting in Serengeti, Tanzania: An important economic activity to local people." International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation 2 (2010): 263-72. 27 Nov. 2012 <http://www.academicjournals.org/ijbc/pdf/pdf%202010/Sept/Mfunda%20and%20R%C3%B8skaft.pdf>.

7. Seymour, Colleen, and Mary Rowen. "Eastern Africa: The Greater Serengeti grassland ecosystem in northern Tanzania." Wildlife Conservation, Endangered Species Conservation. WWF. 29 Nov. 2012 <http://worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at0714>.

8. Sinclair, A.R.E., Simon A.R. Mduma, J. Grant C. Hopcraft, John M. Fryxell, Ray Hilborn, and Simon Thirgood. "Long-Term Ecosystem Dynamics in the Serengeti: Lessons for Conservation." Conservation Biology 21 (2007): 580-90. 25 Nov. 2012 <http://www.uoguelph.ca/ib/pdfs/Sinclair_2007_ConsBiol.pdf>.

9. "Tourism in the Serengeti." BBC News. BBC. 29 Nov. 2012 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/ecosystems/human_uses_savannah_rev3.shtml>.

10. University of Washington. "Serengeti Patrols Cut Poaching Of Buffalo, Elephants, Rhinos."ScienceDaily, 27 Nov. 2006. Web. 29 Nov. 2012.

11. Zoological Society of London. "Serengeti highway would disrupt world's greatest migration, conservationists warn." ScienceDaily, 25 Aug. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2012.