{"id":686,"date":"2025-03-11T14:47:24","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T15:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/?p=686"},"modified":"2025-03-13T17:12:41","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T17:12:41","slug":"natural-habitat-adventures-supports-community-based-conservation-in-the-serengeti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/scrollsugar.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/11\/natural-habitat-adventures-supports-community-based-conservation-in-the-serengeti\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural Habitat Adventures Supports Community-Based Conservation in the Serengeti"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Serengeti. Its name alone conjures images of sweeping savannas, thundering herds of wildebeest in chaotic motion, and the golden glow of the East African sunset.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Serengeti is both an administrative district and a national park in Tanzania<\/span>, but when<\/span> most people use the term, we refer to the entire Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, historically a haven for wildlife and home to communities with deep-rooted connections to the land.<\/span><\/p>\n

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But both wildlife and local communities face mounting threats across the Serengeti. <\/span>Expanding populations and development are putting enormous strain on natural resources, and climate change is making<\/span>\u00a0water scarce.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, Nat Hab is proud to partner with and support <\/span>Friends of Serengeti<\/span><\/a>, a non-profit membership organization that<\/span> facilitates traveler support of conservation, education and other benefits to people living within and around protected natural areas of the Serengeti.<\/span><\/p>\n

This year, <\/span>Nat Hab Philanthropy<\/span><\/a> contributed to an ecoagriculture program spearheaded by a local Maasai leader. The program is<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>designed to help secure the future of both people and wildlife in the Serengeti.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read on for more about the challenges facing the Serengeti and the ecoagriculture pilot program Nat Hab Philanthropy supported through Friends of Serengeti.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Higher<\/p>\n

The Serengeti Ecosystem: Natural Wonder at Risk<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Spanning approximately 12,000 square miles (30,000 km\u00b2)<\/span>, the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem includes the Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and <\/span>Maasai Mara<\/span><\/a> National Reserve in Kenya. <\/span>It is one of the most famous and biologically diverse regions <\/span>on the planet<\/span>, supporting over 1.5 million wildebeest, 250,000 zebra and hundreds of thousands of antelope during the Great Migration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Serengeti means \u201cendless plains\u201d in the Maasai language. <\/span>As vast as this landscape may sound, <\/span>the Serengeti<\/span> is increasingly a shrinking island in a sea of people. And it\u2019s not just overtourism and development causing strain\u2014 population growth in Tanzania is one of the highest in the world, and growth rates around the Serengeti are among the highest in Tanzania.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tanzania\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>population<\/span><\/a> will more than double by mid-century, from 69 million people now to 93 million in 2035 to 130 million in 2050. A team of scientists from seven countries studied data from 40 years and found, <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe activities of people have caused extreme changes to the habitat. It has significantly reduced the amount of grass and, because of farms, settlements and fences, the landscape has become fragmented \u2013 this means animals can\u2019t move freely to find resources or mate.\u201d \u00a0 \u2013 Joseph Ogutu<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This exponential growth puts tremendous pressure on land, wildlife and resources.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nat<\/p>\n

Elephant sanctuary in Kenya \u00a9 Nat Hab Staff Megan Bryant<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Multifaceted Threats Facing the Serengeti<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Serengeti is facing <\/span>an array of<\/span> interwoven <\/span>challenges<\/span><\/a> driven by human expansion, climate change and environmental degradation. <\/span>These threats are not distant concerns\u2014they\u2019re unfolding now, altering the <\/span>delicate balance of the ecosystem<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n