Fragile Environments Case Studies

It is a savanna grassland ecosystem, covering 30,000 sqaure kilometresin Tanzania and south west Kenya.

The plant life is dominated by grasses and shrubs with occasional trees, such as the acacia. 

It supports herds of grazing animals, such as wildebeests (1.3 million), zebras (200,000), and buffalo, and their predators, such as lions, leopards, and cheetahs. It is also home to endangered species such as the African elephant (there are only 2,000 left), and 500 bird species, including flamingos and 6 types of vultures. All these animals follow an annual migration pattern.

There are four main environmental problems in Serengeti. These are: hunting and poaching; increasing population; fire; and invasive species. 

Historically animals have been hunted by visitors for sport, as well as by local people as a source of food or for products like ivory and rhino horn to sell.

During the 1970s and 1980s poaching for every ivory and rhino horn was a huge problem and caused the black rhino population in the Serengeti to fall to two animals.

Legislation like the 1989 ban on the international trade of ivory had helped to reduce elephant poaching in the recent years, but local people hunting illegally for meat is still a problem.

The human population in the Serengeti is increasing. This creates land use conflicts. Land is needed for settlements, for growing crops, and for grazing farm animals.

As areas of the Serengeti have been colonised and farmed, natural habitats have been lost.

Increasing population has also led to increased hunting. 

Controlled fires during the dry season help to sustain the savanna environment. 

Fire prevents woodland growth, burns off dead grass on the surface, leaving the roots intact, and fertilises the soil. New shoots grow through in the wet season and are a source of food for grazing animals.

However, uncontrolled fires (sometimes started to clear land for farming) can damage trees and destroy grass roots, so grasses can't grow back.

Invasive plant species can cause damage. For example, the Mexican poppy, which was accidentally introduced with important wheat, out-competes native plants and crops, making some areas unsustainable for farming.

Animal species can spread disease. For example, in 1994 canine distemper virus spread from dometic dogs killed a third of the population of Serengeti lions.

It covers an area of 15,000 square kilometres in northern Tanzania. It was established in 1951 to preserve wildlife and reduce environmental damage. The park is managed by Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), which carries out management strategies aiming to balance conservation of biodiversity with the needs of the local people. 

Monitoring the ecosystem through aerial wildlife surveys, water quality monitoring, and monitoring of invasive species. 

Protection of priority species, such as rangers monitor the black rhino population and carry out anti-poaching patrols.

Disease monitoring and vaccination programmes. For example, domestic dogs in a zone around the park are vaccinated against rabies and canine distemper virus to try to stop these diseases sreading to wild animals.

Controlled burning is carried out to stop a build up of dry grass, which could cause damaging wildfires.

Conservation education projects have been set up. The park supports conservation clubs in 74 local primary schools, holds teacher training workshops, and informs local people about work in the park. Involving local people in conservation means they are more likely to protect the ecosystems themselves. 

Four Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) were created, which have a community based conservation approach. For example, the Ikona Community WMA, an area of 450 square kilometres, is managed by communities from five villages. They work together to manage the wildlife, and are allowed to use the resources from the area within sustainable limits, either through hunting for their own use, or making money from tourism (such as through selling local produce or guiding safaris).

Tourism brings money to the local area, but strict regulations are in place to make sure it doesn't damage the ecosystem. For example, driving is only permitted in designated areas, and access into the park is only allowed at certain points.

The only people allowed to live in the Serengeti National Park are those employed as rangers or by the tourist industry. 

It has helped the environment and the local people:

• The WMAs have been successful in lots of ways. They provide local people with a food source and income from legally traded animal products and tourism, and help to reduce illegal poaching.
• Poaching has declined in recent years, and the populations of most species are steadily increasing. For example, the elephant population increased from 500 in 1990 to 2,100 in 2011.
• Money from tourism (there are roughly 90,000 tourists each year) goes back into the National Park to help pay for conservation projects. It also boosts the local economy by creating jobs and a market for local produce. The increased ranger presence for tourism has also helped reduce poaching.
• Disease monitoring and vaccinations have helped prevent damaging outbreaks of disease. For example, in 1996 an outbreak of rinderpest (a disease which affects hooved animals like cattle) was stopped from entering the Serengeti due to a programme of cattle vaccination in the districts of the Park closest to the affected area. 
• 42,500 sqaure kilometres are protected overall in Tanzania, which is one third of the territory. In the UK, just 10% is protected. 

Construction and the use of roads, trails, campsites, hotels and other buildings have an environmental impact through increased erosiona and loss of habitat.

Road vehicles and aeroplanes cause air pollution and noise pollution.

Waste disposal from accomodation can be a problem, such as if food waste isn't disposed of properly it can attract pests such as rats and cockroaches.

Tourists can disturb and sometimes distress animals.

Tourism increases the demand for water, which can lead to water shortages. 

The human population around the park is still growing, and more settlements and farms are built near the park each year. There can be conflict between agriculture and conservation. For example, elephants sometimes raid crops such as sorghum and maize, which can make conservation unpopular with local people.

Some local people are reluctant to become part of a WMA, because they have doubts about what they'll gain from it. Others have refused to stop farming or hunting within the WMAs, so some areas are still being over-exploited.

Outside the WMAs, poaching is still a problem in the Serengeti. 40,000 animals are killed each year for meat and other products. These are mostly wildebeest and zebras, but other animals often get caught in poachers' snares or traps. If the human population around the park continues to increase, it could lead to a rapid decline of the wildebeest population. 

Tourism can have a number of negative impacts still. However, a code of conduct and limits to tourism have been set up by the National Park to try and reduce these impacts.

The non-native Mexican prickly poppy has been introduced, which rapidly takes over overgrazed land, crowding out natives that are needed to sustain existing wildlife patterns.

The Masai Mara's culture has remained intact, due to their cultural code forbidding the eating of wild animals, and therefore biodiversity is also sustained.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area was set up in 1959 to ensure the interests of the Masai Mara tribe in other areas of life were met. 52,000 of the tribe members now live in this area. They live in seasonally built homes, known as bomas, and they are not allowed to live permanently in an area, and they are not allowed to cultivate the land for food. 

2%, and with 36% of the population living below the poverty line, this means that even more people are relying on the natural resources of the savanna grasslands.