Khakif

Good read for those of you who are interested in the Serengeti long-term:

http://www.zgf.de/mitarbeiterbereich...20July2006.pdf

Bill_H

Thanks for posting that! Very interesting reading.

Bill

sandi

Long-term! When I saw that report is 184/pages (though some may be pics), figured it would take as long to read as implement.

Khakif

Sandi,

You are so right!

I have always said it is a complicated subject with no quick answers. How can those of us who visit a few times in a lifetime possibly comprehend well enough to suggest we know the right approach. The more informed I become, the less suggestions I seem to make.

Bill_H

Some tidbits gleaned from the PDF, with page #'s so you can easily go there ... ('pg' is the document page number, PDF pg is 16 more to account for the intro ... enter the PDF number in the box at top of Acrobat Reader to go to the right page).

1) I've seen reports in the media that Tanzania was trying to increase the number of lodges and 'beds' in the tourist parks by some alarmingly huge number (4,000 rings a bell but I'm not sure I remembered it right). This report seems to indicate otherwise.

Pg 64 (PDF pg 80) has Table D.5: "Limits of Acceptable Use for Accomodation".

In the 'high use zone' (lodges) the # of 'beds' increases from 1,516 to 1,544

In the 'low use zone' (tented camps) the increase is from 406 6o 594, broken down as follows:

'permanent tented camps' from 120 to 240 'beds', mostly in Musabi Hills and Wogakuria (north)

'Premium Campsites' from 0 to 36
'Special Campsites' from 256 to 288
'public campsites' staying at 30 beds.

The area I'm most familiar with (and most concerned with) is Ndutu and the number of 'beds' in the five 'special campsites' actually dropped from 80 to 60.

2) Looks like you will still be able to drive off-road in certain areas. They are defining three zones, 'High Use Zone' with permanent lodges and no off-roading, covering 23% of the park centered around Seronera.

Also "Low Use Zones" covering 42% of the park, limited to tent lodging and in some areas allowing off-roading. Finally 35% set aside for "Wilderness Zones" with few roads, no accomodations, and walking safaris.

This is discusses on pg v (PDF 7) with a map showing the Zones on pg 19 (PDF 35).

3) Poaching remains a serious problem, especially outside the NW area of the park during the wildebeest migrations in June - late July, as many settlements have sprung up on the park borders. See Fig. C.3 "Settlement distribution around Serengeti" (pg 32, PDF 48).

This is seen as a long-term threat to the wildebeest and zebra herds.

4) They are trying to bring back viable populations of black rhino and wild dogs in the parks, with the rhino effort hampered by poaching and the dogs threatened by diseases (canine distemper is blamed on their near-extinction earlier).

Pg 37 (PDF 53) Target 1.4: Restoration of viable populations of Black Rhino

Pg 38 (PDF 54) Target 1.5: Restoration of viable populations of Wild Dogs

Thanks again Khakif for posting the link. Good luck to the Tanzanians in implementing the details.

Bill

Khakif

Bill,
You might want to add to your list of concerns the effect of Kenya diverting water from the Mara River:

http://www.aims.gov.au/ibm/pages/new...-modeling.html

Bill_H

<b>Bill,
You might want to add to your list of concerns the effect of Kenya diverting water from the Mara River:
</b>

Pg 34 (PDF 50) in the Serengeti report ... &quot;Target 1.2: Human impacts to the Mara River monitored and minimised&quot; and marked as a &quot;Very High&quot; threat level ...

Bill

atravelynn

Thanks for the report link. Got a kick out of the term &quot;tourist sinks.&quot; Glad to see species like black rhino, cheetah, wild dog were mentioned.

Bill, you picked out some great tidbits for the Cliff Notes version.