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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
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		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/serengeti/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
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	<title>Serengeti environmental news</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/serengeti/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>Wildlife concerns remain after Kenya court ruling over luxury safari camp</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/wildlife-concerns-remain-after-kenya-court-ruling-over-luxury-safari-camp/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/wildlife-concerns-remain-after-kenya-court-ruling-over-luxury-safari-camp/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Apr 2026 09:13:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elodie Toto]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Elodietoto]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/01192301/a.-BANNER-Wildebeest_Jumping_Into_the_Mara_River-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=316695</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Law, Mammals, Tourism, Traditional Knowledge, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This is the end of a saga that has stirred nature and tourism enthusiasts in Kenya for the past six months. The Environment and Land Court at Narok dismissed a petition filed in August 2025 by Meitamei Olol Dapash, director of the Institute for Maasai Education, Research and Conservation. The environmentalist had opposed the opening [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This is the end of a saga that has stirred nature and tourism enthusiasts in Kenya for the past six months. The Environment and Land Court at Narok dismissed a petition filed in August 2025 by Meitamei Olol Dapash, director of the Institute for Maasai Education, Research and Conservation. The environmentalist had opposed the opening of the Ritz-Carlton, Masai Mara Safari Camp, operated by Lazizi Mara Ltd. “The Court finds that it lacks jurisdiction to deal with this matter as there are relevant alternative disputes resolution mechanisms, which were not employed by the Plaintiffs and therefore this suit was prematurely filed, and the Court is divested of Jurisdiction. Without Jurisdiction, the Court’s hands are tied,” the court decision states. The Narok court, in its ruling, specifies that the plaintiff, before filing a claim, should have filed a complaint under Section 117 of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, which stipulates that all remedies, including community-based ones, must be pursued, and also appealed under Section 129 of the Environmental Management and Coordination Act. For further information, Mongabay contacted the Narok court and county authorities, but they did not respond to our interview request. From the perspective of environmentalists like Johnson Yiamat, the ruling is sending the wrong message. “I feel that procedural outcomes should not overshadow the substance of the concerns that were raised,” he said in a message to Mongabay. Yiamat is a Maasai and founder of Osotua Green Alliance, a community-led organization focused on biodiversity conservation, climate action and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/wildlife-concerns-remain-after-kenya-court-ruling-over-luxury-safari-camp/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/wildlife-concerns-remain-after-kenya-court-ruling-over-luxury-safari-camp/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-316695</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Outlook for migratory species worsens amid habitat loss &#038; avian flu, report finds</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/outlook-for-migratory-species-worsens-amid-habitat-loss-avian-flu-report-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/outlook-for-migratory-species-worsens-amid-habitat-loss-avian-flu-report-finds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Mar 2026 16:03:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gloria Dickie]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/12132145/Sea-Turtle-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=315646</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Arctic, Asia, Central Asia, Chad, East Africa, Europe, Global, Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Birds, Climate, Climate Change, Conservation, Diseases, Elasmobranchs, Environment, Fish, Fishing, Freshwater Fish, Habitat Loss, Hunting, Jaguars, Mammals, Mapping, Migration, Mining, Poaching, Sea Turtles, Sharks, Species, Turtles, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From shorebirds flying between their Arctic breeding grounds and southerly foraging ranges to freshwater fish returning to native spawning streams, migratory animals are struggling. About half of all migratory species populations protected under a global treaty are now in decline, with the situation worsening in just the last two years, according to a new United [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From shorebirds flying between their Arctic breeding grounds and southerly foraging ranges to freshwater fish returning to native spawning streams, migratory animals are struggling. About half of all migratory species populations protected under a global treaty are now in decline, with the situation worsening in just the last two years, according to a new United Nations-backed report. When the first State of the World’s Migratory Species report was published in 2024, 44% of migratory species populations listed under the U.N. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) were declining, according to data from the IUCN Red List, the world’s most comprehensive guide to global extinction risk. Since then, the proportion of imperiled CMS-listed species rose to 49%, according to updated Red List data and new research. Though the next status report isn’t due until around 2030, conservation advocates said the deteriorating situation required an interim report, as many countries are moving in the wrong direction when it comes to conserving wildlife that depend on various habitats to complete their life cycles. “This [interim report] is saying there are some alarming trends in the meantime; that we don’t want to wait six years to talk about this,” said CMS executive secretary Amy Fraenkel. Jaguars have no subspecies. Their range extends from Mexico to Argentina, but some populations are cut off, at risk of inbreeding and the demise that comes with it. Image by Gregoire Dubois. The convention, established in 1979, aims to conserve migratory species by protecting&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/outlook-for-migratory-species-worsens-amid-habitat-loss-avian-flu-report-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/outlook-for-migratory-species-worsens-amid-habitat-loss-avian-flu-report-finds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-315646</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How German government funds are used to dispossess Tanzania’s Maasai in Serengeti land grab</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/how-german-government-funds-and-tanzanian-conservation-agencies-fuel-the-serengeti-land-grab/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/how-german-government-funds-and-tanzanian-conservation-agencies-fuel-the-serengeti-land-grab/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Nov 2024 17:50:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Benjamin Hindrichs]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/11/29172624/A-Maasai-looking-over-Ololosokwan_1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=290943</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conflict, Conservation, Governance, Human Rights, Human-wildlife Conflict, Indigenous Peoples, Land Conflict, Mongabay investigation, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A Tanzanian journalist contributed to this report, but has requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the story. OLOLOSOKWAN, Tanzania — Just days after rangers from Serengeti National Park confiscated Lankenua Sainguran&#8217;s cattle and pushed her family into poverty, the German ambassador to Tanzania ceremonially handed over the keys to new facilities for the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A Tanzanian journalist contributed to this report, but has requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the story. OLOLOSOKWAN, Tanzania — Just days after rangers from Serengeti National Park confiscated Lankenua Sainguran&#8217;s cattle and pushed her family into poverty, the German ambassador to Tanzania ceremonially handed over the keys to new facilities for the park&#8217;s conservation authorities. While pictures were taken and handshakes exchanged, 70 kilometers (43 miles) away on the outskirts of the park, Serengeti rangers were organizing and funding a massive eviction operation, burning 185 Maasai homes and leaving 6,800 people homeless. Sainguran, whose name was changed for security reasons, still remembers the day, she said. Columns of smoke rose into the sky and shouts filled the air. For her and many Maasai pastoralists who roamed these lands with their livestock like their ancestors did, the violence in August 2017 in Loliondo upended their lives. Over the past 15 years, the Tanzanian government has forcibly displaced thousands of Maasai from ancestral lands to curtain off nature and hunting reserves along the eastern border of Serengeti National Park, called the Pololeti and Loliondo game controlled areas. At the same time, it launched a relocation program for the voluntary relocation of Maasai from the iconic Ngorongoro Conservation Area. But these plans included cutting funding for schools and healthcare centers to pressure Maasai residents into “voluntary” relocation to a village 600 km (370 mi) away, reported Human Rights Watch. This investigation has found that the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), an&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/how-german-government-funds-and-tanzanian-conservation-agencies-fuel-the-serengeti-land-grab/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/how-german-government-funds-and-tanzanian-conservation-agencies-fuel-the-serengeti-land-grab/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-290943</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Counterintuitive: Large wild herbivores may help slow climate change</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/counterintuitive-large-wild-herbivores-may-help-slow-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/counterintuitive-large-wild-herbivores-may-help-slow-climate-change/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Dec 2022 15:56:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tim Vernimmen]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Glenn Scherer]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/12/13135109/wildebeest-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=263522</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Covering the Commons and Planetary Boundaries]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Arctic, Global, and Serengeti]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, carbon, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Emissions, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Ecosystems, Elephants, Endangered Species, Environment, Forest Carbon, Forests, Grasslands, Habitat, Mammals, Nature-based climate solutions, Plants, Predators, Savannas, Soil Carbon, Solutions, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In contrast to their reputation, big plant eaters such as elephants that disturb forest and grassland vegetation could help curb climate change.]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the battle to combat climate change, there is no single silver bullet, though we will clearly need nature’s help to reverse Earth’s human-induced overdose of atmospheric greenhouse gases. Trees are often used to exemplify the most promising organisms for this work, as they can absorb lots of CO2 and store carbon in their woody tissues for decades, or even centuries. In contrast, large herbivores like elephants — ambling about, stripping branches, chomping on tree seedlings or even uprooting full-grown trees — appear to be the enemy. But in a 2022 paper published in the journal Current Biology, a team of ecologists begs to differ. The total amount of carbon stored in all the bodies of all the mammals and birds on Earth is negligible, they admit, totaling only about 9 million metric tons, the carbon storage equivalent of just eight hours of human fossil fuel emissions. But, the researchers note, the big wild herbivores roaming natural areas have often been shown to do things that may reduce global warming, through a variety of mechanisms. “They help prevent fires, decrease the amount of solar heat absorbed by the Earth’s surface, and contribute a lot to the long-term storage of carbon in soil,” explains University of Oxford ecosystem scientist Yadvinder Malhi, the paper’s lead author. That means elephants, wildebeests and other big plant eaters may be helping, not hindering, our carbon storage efforts. An Asian elephant in Kerala, India. In tropical forests, where large animals like elephants may knock over trees&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/counterintuitive-large-wild-herbivores-may-help-slow-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/counterintuitive-large-wild-herbivores-may-help-slow-climate-change/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-263522</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Maasai villages lose important court case as wildlife game reserve trudges on</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/maasai-villages-lose-court-case-on-evictions-to-create-wildlife-game-reserve/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/maasai-villages-lose-court-case-on-evictions-to-create-wildlife-game-reserve/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Oct 2022 20:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Laurel Sutherland]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/09/19143621/maasai-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261037</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples and Conservation]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Conflict, Land Grabbing, Land Rights, Law, Protected Areas, and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) has ruled in favor of the Tanzanian government after a five-year legal battle between evicted Maasai communities and the state. According to the court, evidence to plead the communities’ case was insufficient and contradictory. The ruling comes as a blow to Indigenous, environmental and human rights organizations who [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) has ruled in favor of the Tanzanian government after a five-year legal battle between evicted Maasai communities and the state. According to the court, evidence to plead the communities’ case was insufficient and contradictory. The ruling comes as a blow to Indigenous, environmental and human rights organizations who have advocated for the return of evicted farmers to their land and the withdrawal of the planned wildlife game reserve. “Again, it seems the government is happy with injustices done to our people. We are very much disappointed,” said a Maasai leader in a press release by the Oakland Institute. In 2017, the Tanzanian government told Maasai villagers from the country’s Loliondo division of Ngorongoro that they must leave “the confines of the Serengeti National Park.” When they refused, some Maasai villagers say a series of violent evictions commenced – resulting in the five-year legal battle that ended yesterday. Maasai communities – Ololosokwan, Oloirien, Kirtalo and Arash – have land ownership titles to land adjoining the Serengeti National Park (SNP) but the exact location of the border between those lands and the park has always been in dispute. Five years ago, the government gave written notice to Maasai people living in the four and surrounding villages that they would have to move from the disputed 1,500 square kilometers (580 square miles). Police officers, under the instruction of government officials, subsequently began a series of evictions. The four villages filed a case against the Tanzanian government,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/maasai-villages-lose-court-case-on-evictions-to-create-wildlife-game-reserve/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/maasai-villages-lose-court-case-on-evictions-to-create-wildlife-game-reserve/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-261037</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Southern patas monkeys face extinction in a decade without intervention</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/10/southern-patas-monkeys-face-extinction-in-a-decade-without-intervention/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2021/10/southern-patas-monkeys-face-extinction-in-a-decade-without-intervention/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Oct 2021 14:28:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ed Holt]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/10/06133106/Epbaumstarki52018Mogabay-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=247880</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Mammals, Monkeys, Primates, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The southern patas monkey, a little-known and rarely seen African primate, is on the verge of extinction, new research shows. Primate experts say they hope to bring international attention to its plight and spur efforts to save it. Recently published research into the southern patas monkey (Erythrocebus baumstarki) sheds light on its natural history, but [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The southern patas monkey, a little-known and rarely seen African primate, is on the verge of extinction, new research shows. Primate experts say they hope to bring international attention to its plight and spur efforts to save it. Recently published research into the southern patas monkey (Erythrocebus baumstarki) sheds light on its natural history, but also shows how close the animal, which is already designated as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, is to dying out. Having once been present in Kenya, from where it was extirpated in about 2015, the historic range of the species has declined by about 85% since the early 20th century, due to the growing human population, according to study authors Yvonne de Jong and Thomas Butynski. The monkey is currently restricted to the protected areas of the western Serengeti in northern Tanzania. Relatively little is known about the southern patas monkey (Erythrocebus baumstarki), and new research suggests the species could soon go extinct if conservation measures are not put in place. Image copyright 2013 Stephen D. Nash / IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group. The study estimates that there are between 100 and 200 southern patas monkeys remaining, including between 50 and 100 mature individuals. If this decline continues unchecked, the researchers estimate the species could be extinct within a decade. “This poorly known but charismatic primate is silently and rapidly going extinct,&#8221; De Jong told Mongabay. However, the researchers say the species can still be saved. &#8220;With immediate, focused, and effective conservation action&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/10/southern-patas-monkeys-face-extinction-in-a-decade-without-intervention/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-247880</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Spying on fear in the wild: Q&#038;A with ecologist Meredith Palmer</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/spying-on-fear-in-the-wild-qa-with-ecologist-meredith-palmer/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/spying-on-fear-in-the-wild-qa-with-ecologist-meredith-palmer/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Aug 2020 04:40:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Claudia Geib]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Romi Castagnino]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/08/25042604/2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=234175</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Sue Palminteri WildTech Reporting Fellowship]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, North America, and Serengeti]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Camera Trapping, Conservation, Conservation Technology, Ecology, Endangered Species, Environment, Green, Interviews, Mammals, Predators, Protected Areas, Top Predators, Wildlife, Wildtech, and Women In Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the late 1990s, a Yale ecologist named Oswald Schmitz and his students made an interesting discovery by gluing spiders’ mouths shut. Schmitz’s team placed the glued spiders in enclosed fields alongside grasshoppers, and observed how both behaved over time. What they found was even when the spiders were rendered toothless, their presence still changed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the late 1990s, a Yale ecologist named Oswald Schmitz and his students made an interesting discovery by gluing spiders’ mouths shut. Schmitz’s team placed the glued spiders in enclosed fields alongside grasshoppers, and observed how both behaved over time. What they found was even when the spiders were rendered toothless, their presence still changed their prey’s actions: the grasshoppers grazed mostly when the spiders slept, they ate less, and as a result they mated less, resulting in fewer offspring. Fear of the spiders was so powerful that it actually changed the ecosystem that the insects lived in. Would the same be true of lions and gazelles? “Of course, I can’t go to the Serengeti with a bucket of glue and glue a lion’s mouth closed,” says Meredith Palmer, an ecologist at Princeton University who studies fear ecology — an underrecognized, but significant, facet of animals’ lives. Working primarily in Africa as well as in North America, Palmer has found a way to scale up Schmitz’s experiment without glue, thanks to some simple, but powerful, new technology. “Camera traps and other technology have really been the catalyst for this. They’ve allowed us to start asking all kinds of really fascinating questions about species interactions,” she says. “They allow me to study the behavior of hundreds of thousands of individual animals that I’m monitoring across 1,200 square kilometer [460 square miles of] landscapes — and I need very fine-scale, high-resolution information about what these players are doing in this predator-prey game.”&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/spying-on-fear-in-the-wild-qa-with-ecologist-meredith-palmer/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/spying-on-fear-in-the-wild-qa-with-ecologist-meredith-palmer/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-234175</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Combining artificial intelligence and citizen science to improve wildlife surveys</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/03/combining-artificial-intelligence-and-citizen-science-to-improve-wildlife-surveys/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2019/03/combining-artificial-intelligence-and-citizen-science-to-improve-wildlife-surveys/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Mar 2019 18:39:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sue Palminteri (1965-2019)]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sue Palminteri]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/03/22181250/Serengeti-herds-64_zebra-hartebeest_small-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=216798</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[East Africa, Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Artificial Intelligence, cameras, Citizen Science, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Mammals, Migration, Monitoring, Sensors, Solutions, Surveying, Technology, Wildlife, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A research team testing the capacity of both citizen scientists and machine learning algorithms to help survey the annual wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania found that both methods could produce accurate animal counts, a boon for park managers. The iconic migration of 1.3 million blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and 250,000 common zebra [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A research team testing the capacity of both citizen scientists and machine learning algorithms to help survey the annual wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania found that both methods could produce accurate animal counts, a boon for park managers. The iconic migration of 1.3 million blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and 250,000 common zebra (Equus quagga) between Serengeti and the Masaai Mara National Reserve in Kenya is the largest terrestrial animal migration on Earth. Over one million wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), plus tens of thousands of common zebra (Equus quagga) and other grazing antelope migrate seasonally across Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to find fresh grasses. Image by Sue Palminteri/Mongabay. The migration of so many herbivorous animals affects drives other biological process in the grassland ecosystem, including soil nutrient cycles, the balance of trees and grasses, and the abundance of insects, birds and carnivores. The population trend of the wildebeest in particular reflects levels of bushmeat poaching, disease, and other human disturbance. Understanding the health and dynamics of the migration is thus of key interest to both researcher and Park managers, yet the sheer numbers of animals have challenged monitoring efforts. “The major driving force in the Serengeti’s ecosystem is the abundance of wildebeest,” said senior author Grant Hopcraft of the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health &amp; Comparative Medicine, in a statement. “[The wildebeest] influence almost every variable in the ecosystem – everything from the return rate of fires, since they eat the grass, to the amount&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/03/combining-artificial-intelligence-and-citizen-science-to-improve-wildlife-surveys/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-216798</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Better and better’: Thermal cameras turn up the heat on poachers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/07/better-and-better-thermal-cameras-turn-up-the-heat-on-poachers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2018/07/better-and-better-thermal-cameras-turn-up-the-heat-on-poachers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jul 2018 08:05:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sue Palminteri (1965-2019)]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sue Palminteri]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/07/05144202/Serengeti-herds-1_small-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=208062</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, cameras, Communication, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Crime, early warning, Law Enforcement, Migration, Mobile, Poaching, Protected Areas, Sensors, Solutions, Surveillance, Technology, Wildlife, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nearly 2 million animals, mostly wildebeest and zebra, migrate roughly 800 kilometers (500 miles) each year between Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Maasai Mara National Reserve across the border in Kenya. Their joint search for fresh green grass is an ecological phenomenon and a major tourist attraction in both countries. But along with tourists, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nearly 2 million animals, mostly wildebeest and zebra, migrate roughly 800 kilometers (500 miles) each year between Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Maasai Mara National Reserve across the border in Kenya. Their joint search for fresh green grass is an ecological phenomenon and a major tourist attraction in both countries. A few of the participants in the annual Serengeti-Mara wildebeest migration. Image by Sue Palminteri/Mongabay But along with tourists, this profusion of animals also attracts bushmeat poachers. Each year, poachers from the western edge of the Serengeti follow the herd into Kenya. Along the way, they kill between 40,000 and 100,000 wildebeest, zebra and other grazers each year, according to Brian Heath, CEO of the Mara Conservancy. The conservancy manages a portion of the Maasai Mara reserve called the Mara Triangle, perhaps best known for the annual crossing by the wildebeest of the crocodile-laden Mara River. Heath spoke with Mongabay-Wildtech about security, his biggest conservation challenge there, as well as his team’s use of forward-looking infrared (FLIR) thermal imaging sensors in their ongoing effort to keep poaching of the famous migrating wildebeest and other wildlife at bay. Poachers typically kill the animals by setting wire snares, made from steel stripped from old tires. “There’s a whole business doing this,” Heath said, referring to local production of the many thousands of snares used illegally within the two reserves. “Last year we collected 7,000 snares [in the Mara Triangle], the year before was the same.” A wire snare formed from the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2018/07/better-and-better-thermal-cameras-turn-up-the-heat-on-poachers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-208062</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Citizen scientists help demystify Serengeti&#8217;s wildlife with photos</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2015/03/citizen-scientists-help-demystify-serengetis-wildlife-with-photos/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2015/03/citizen-scientists-help-demystify-serengetis-wildlife-with-photos/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Mar 2015 22:31:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2015/03/citizen-scientists-help-demystify-serengetis-wildlife-with-photos/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and Serengeti]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Camera Trapping, Citizen Science, Conservation, Environment, Fellows, Green, Mongabay.org, Science, Technology, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Africa&#8217;s Serengeti conjures up romantic images of millions of migrating wildebeest and zebras, prides of lions feasting on their prey, and hyenas prowling in the background. But not everyone is fortunate to see them up close. Snapshot Serengeti, a citizen science project, is changing that. It lets anyone, with or without a background in science [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Africa&#8217;s Serengeti conjures up romantic images of millions of migrating wildebeest and zebras, prides of lions feasting on their prey, and hyenas prowling in the background. But not everyone is fortunate to see them up close. Snapshot Serengeti, a citizen science project, is changing that. It lets anyone, with or without a background in science or ecology, become a part of Africa&#8217;s wilderness from their homes. By identifying and classifying wild animals in camera trap photos, volunteers can satiate their love for nature, and in the process help researchers answer critical questions about Serengeti&#8217;s ecosystem. These images are part of a camera trapping survey operated by the Serengeti Lion Project, managed by researchers of the University of Minnesota. Zebra. Photo by: Snapshot Serengeti. In 2010, a team of researchers set up 225 cameras across the centre of Serengeti National Park, covering an area of about 1100 square kilometres. Since then, the team has completed eight seasons of their camera trapping survey, Alexandra Swanson, from the University of Oxford who set up the camera traps, said at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in San Jose, California last month. These cameras, which are triggered by a combination of heat and motion, generate over million images every year. Lion. Photo by: Snapshot Serengeti. Every photo tells a bit of Serengeti&#8217;s story, Swanson said. &#8220;But to turn them into scientific data, we need to know what animals are in the photo, how many there are, and what they&#8217;re&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2015/03/citizen-scientists-help-demystify-serengetis-wildlife-with-photos/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-24009</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Regional court kills controversial Serengeti Highway</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/06/regional-court-kills-controversial-serengeti-highway/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/06/regional-court-kills-controversial-serengeti-highway/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jun 2014 14:54:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2014/06/regional-court-kills-controversial-serengeti-highway/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Environment, Environmental Law, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Migration, Parks, Protected Areas, Roads, Savannas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Lionness with kill in Tanzania. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. The Serengeti ecosystem got a major reprieve last week when the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) ruled against a hugely-controversial plan to build a paved road through Tanzania&#8217;s Serengeti National Park. The court dubbed the proposed road &#8220;unlawful&#8221; due to expected environmental impacts. The [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Lionness with kill in Tanzania. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. The Serengeti ecosystem got a major reprieve last week when the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) ruled against a hugely-controversial plan to build a paved road through Tanzania&#8217;s Serengeti National Park. The court dubbed the proposed road &#8220;unlawful&#8221; due to expected environmental impacts. The case was brought to the regional court by the Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW) in 2010, but has taken four years to receive a definitive ruling. &#8220;[We] fully [respect] Tanzania&#8217;s sovereignty and its need for national development,&#8221; Josphat Ngonyo, ANAW&#8217;s Executive Director said in a statement. &#8220;However, by taking up this matter, ANAW was in actual fact protecting a resource that would be of future benefit not only to Tanzanians or East Africans but also the entire humanity.&#8221; The road, which would have bisected the northern&#8212;and most remote&#8212;portion of Serengeti National Park has had many ups and down. After opposition by the UN, German and U.S. governments, and the Tanzanian tourist lobby, it was widely reported that the Tanzanian government had cancelled the commercial road in 2010. A few days later, though, it became clear that the government hadn&#8217;t cancelled the road at all, but only tweaked their plans, changing the road from paved to unpaved while it ran through the park for 53 kilometers. Yet critics contended if the road was built at all, it would eventually become paved, bringing an influx of traffic across the ecosystem and potentially severing Serengeti&#8217;s great migration.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2014/06/regional-court-kills-controversial-serengeti-highway/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-25051</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Birds of the Serengeti – book review</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/02/birds-of-the-serengeti-book-review/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/02/birds-of-the-serengeti-book-review/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Feb 2014 15:48:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gabriel Thoumi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2014/02/birds-of-the-serengeti-book-review/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Birds, Books, Environment, Green, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Birds of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area by Adam Scott Kennedy may be the best birding book available covering the general safari region for northwestern Tanzania and southern Kenya. Filled with firsthand accounts, excellent photographs, and broken down into chapters by habitats, Birds of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the guidebook for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Birds of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area by Adam Scott Kennedy may be the best birding book available covering the general safari region for northwestern Tanzania and southern Kenya. Filled with firsthand accounts, excellent photographs, and broken down into chapters by habitats, Birds of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the guidebook for the broader non-scientific community. Birds of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area is designed for the traveler. The book is lightweight with each page filled with pictures and brief scientific explanations for each animal. Birds of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area has 480 photographs of 270 species. Images emphasize variation in plumage, sex, and age. Photos show each bird within the context of the surrounding flora they inhabit. Descriptions of each bird highlight where they are found – in marshlands, villages, etc. – while the descriptions do not use unnecessary ornithological techno-jargon. The result makes Birds of the Serengeti is an enjoyable read. Following up on the publication of their Animals of the Masai Mara and Birds of the Masai Mara, and published in conjunction with their Animals of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area , it is best to consider reading the Birds of the Serengeti within the context of the three other books. This is because the authors have spent their careers leading birding and animal photographic tours throughout the world with a long-term focus on the safari regions of Tanzania and Kenya. Their books encourage amateur birders and photographers to go&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2014/02/birds-of-the-serengeti-book-review/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-25629</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Animals of the Serengeti – book review</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/02/animals-of-the-serengeti-book-review/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/02/animals-of-the-serengeti-book-review/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Feb 2014 15:28:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gabriel Thoumi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2014/02/animals-of-the-serengeti-book-review/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Books, Environment, Green, Mammals, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Animals of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area by Adam Scott Kennedy and Vicki Kennedy is an easy-to-use guidebook that is also very readable. The region covered by the book is the Greater Serengeti area bounded in the west by Lake Victoria and the east by Lake Manyara in Tanzania, and in the north by [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Animals of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area by Adam Scott Kennedy and Vicki Kennedy is an easy-to-use guidebook that is also very readable. The region covered by the book is the Greater Serengeti area bounded in the west by Lake Victoria and the east by Lake Manyara in Tanzania, and in the north by southern Kenya. Animals of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area is designed for the traveller. The book is lightweight with each page filled with pictures and brief scientific explanations for each animal. Still, what I find most intriguing about the book, which I also think you will also enjoy, is the incorporation of short first-hand stories told by local guides. These are the individuals with years of expertise in supporting conservation in the region. They also form the cultural backbone of local community efforts to conserve life within the boundaries of the local ecosystems. These guides tell wonderful anecdotal&#8212;and sometimes hilarious&#8212;stories about the local fauna. Following up on the publication of their Animals of the Masai Mara and Birds of the Masai Mara, and published in conjunction with their Birds of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Animals of the Serengeti: And Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a great read. Reading the guidebook, you get a real sense of the how the coauthors have built their life’s passion into a full-time career that positively impacts conservation. The work they do and the guidebooks they write are inspiring. How to order: Paperback: Animals of the Serengeti: And&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2014/02/animals-of-the-serengeti-book-review/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-25678</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Compromise on Serengeti road?: build an elevated highway</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/05/compromise-on-serengeti-road-build-an-elevated-highway/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2013/05/compromise-on-serengeti-road-build-an-elevated-highway/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 May 2013 16:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2013/05/compromise-on-serengeti-road-build-an-elevated-highway/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Environment, Governance, Green, Mammals, Migration, Parks, Protected Areas, Roads, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Famed anthropologist and conservationist Richard Leakey has proposed a possible solution to the hugely controversial Serengeti road: build an elevated highway. Leakey made the remarks during a conference at Rutgers University on May 14th, as reported by Live Science. The Tanzanian government&#8217;s plans to build a road through the remote, northern Serengeti has come under [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Famed anthropologist and conservationist Richard Leakey has proposed a possible solution to the hugely controversial Serengeti road: build an elevated highway. Leakey made the remarks during a conference at Rutgers University on May 14th, as reported by Live Science. The Tanzanian government&#8217;s plans to build a road through the remote, northern Serengeti has come under both environmental and international criticism, as scientific studies and leaked government reports have found the proposed road would hugely hamper the world famous migration across the plans. &#8220;It would be a grand spectacle, to see animals migrating by underneath, and signal Africa&#8217;s commitment to wildlife,&#8221; Leakey reportedly said. &#8220;If I can drive over 30 miles of elevated highways in New Jersey, why not in the Serengeti?&#8221; The costs of building the highway would rise by some 40 percent, but once construction was finished the migration could continue largely unimpeded, according to Leakey. Leakey first brought up the idea of an elevated highway in 2010, but few took notice of it. However as the proposal for a 30 mile (50 kilometer) highway through the Serengeti appears stalled, the Tanzanian government may be ready to look at other options. In fact, plans to build the road have gone through several changes. In 2011, it was widely reported that the road project had been cancelled. But in fact, Tanzania clarified that it still planned to go ahead with the road, only that it would be unpaved. However such plans haven&#8217;t dampened criticism: many fear that once a road&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2013/05/compromise-on-serengeti-road-build-an-elevated-highway/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-28977</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Poaching in Serengeti seems worth the risk</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/12/poaching-in-serengeti-seems-worth-the-risk/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/12/poaching-in-serengeti-seems-worth-the-risk/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Dec 2012 18:34:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Caillie Mutterback]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2012/12/poaching-in-serengeti-seems-worth-the-risk/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Bushmeat, Crime, Environment, Environmental Law, Green, Hunting, Law Enforcement, Parks, Poaching, Protected Areas, Snares, Tropical Conservation Science, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Zebras in the Ngorongoro Crater, a part of the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Illegal hunting in Tanzania&#8217;s Greater Serengeti Ecosystem (GSE) remains a prevalent activity for local people, despite government regulation and grassroots movements to prevent it. A new paper from mongabay.com&#8217;s open-access Tropical Conversation Science examines the factors that drive [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Zebras in the Ngorongoro Crater, a part of the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Illegal hunting in Tanzania&#8217;s Greater Serengeti Ecosystem (GSE) remains a prevalent activity for local people, despite government regulation and grassroots movements to prevent it. A new paper from mongabay.com&#8217;s open-access Tropical Conversation Science examines the factors that drive poachers to continue their activities, despite the high costs involved. By interviewing citizens involved with illegal hunting in the Western part of the Serengeti, they were able to identify key risks that are faced by the hunters as well as the perceived gains of a successful hunt. The western side of the Serengeti has higher levels of illegal hunting because of the increased human population density. The researchers estimate that 52,000 to 60,000 illegal hunters live within 45 kilometers west of the GSE, and those numbers continue to grow as the population in Tanzania grows. While the factors affecting such a large population will be diverse, there are many that have been identified as recurring. Such factors can impact both the long and short-term choices of poachers. For example, a farmer may choose to illegally hunt less often one year because a consistent income removes their need for extra food or money, but a year with excessive drought may drive him to hunt in the GSE several times a month for animals. Other factors include livestock/crop losses, costs of bridewealth for marriage (dowry), educational costs, culture, value of a resource acquired or simply a greater&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2012/12/poaching-in-serengeti-seems-worth-the-risk/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/12/poaching-in-serengeti-seems-worth-the-risk/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-29892</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Poaching in the Serengeti linked to poverty, high legal hunting prices</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/07/poaching-in-the-serengeti-linked-to-poverty-high-legal-hunting-prices/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/07/poaching-in-the-serengeti-linked-to-poverty-high-legal-hunting-prices/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Jul 2012 17:28:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2012/07/poaching-in-the-serengeti-linked-to-poverty-high-legal-hunting-prices/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Bushmeat, Environment, Green, Hunting, Parks, Poaching, Poverty, Poverty Alleviation, Protected Areas, and Tropical Conservation Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Lion with kill in the Serengeti ecosystem. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. In the effort to protect the Serengeti&#8212;arguably Africa&#8217;s most famous ecosystem&#8212;one of the major problems is the bushmeat trade. Population growth, little available protein, poverty, and a long-standing history of hunting has led many communities to poach wildlife within Serengeti National Park. Interviewing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Lion with kill in the Serengeti ecosystem. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. In the effort to protect the Serengeti&#8212;arguably Africa&#8217;s most famous ecosystem&#8212;one of the major problems is the bushmeat trade. Population growth, little available protein, poverty, and a long-standing history of hunting has led many communities to poach wildlife within Serengeti National Park. Interviewing over a thousand community members in the western Serengeti, scientists found that community members are largely aware that wildlife hunting is illegal and that conservation of wild species is important, but hunt animals anyway partly out of necessity. &#8220;Communities in western Serengeti are involved in wildlife hunting not because they lack knowledge about the illegality of wildlife hunting and the importance of conservation of wildlife species, but because they lack alternative sources of meat,&#8221; the researchers write in the new study in mongabay.com&#8217;s open access journal Tropical Conservation Science. They further note that despite promises, local communities find little economic gain from the park. Hunting by permit is legal in parts of Serengeti National Park, but the researchers write that local communities avoid legal hunting because the price is far too high. Most legal hunters in the region are foreign trophy hunters. &#8220;They are neither able to afford licensing fees nor allowed to use traditional weapons under the current legislation,&#8221; the researchers write. &#8220;In reality, legal hunting is not an option for local people in areas like Serengeti, since no hunting quotas are granted to local people at affordable terms. For local hunters, the economic&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2012/07/poaching-in-the-serengeti-linked-to-poverty-high-legal-hunting-prices/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/07/poaching-in-the-serengeti-linked-to-poverty-high-legal-hunting-prices/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-30646</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Legal case against Serengeti road moves forward</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/03/legal-case-against-serengeti-road-moves-forward/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/03/legal-case-against-serengeti-road-moves-forward/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Mar 2012 14:36:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2012/03/legal-case-against-serengeti-road-moves-forward/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Green, Law, Migration, Parks, Protected Areas, Roads, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Female lion with wildebeest kill in Tanzania. A decline in the wildebeest population would impact species up and down the food chain. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. A regional case against the construction of a proposed road through Serengeti National Park has moved to trial after a judge with the East African Court of Justice [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Female lion with wildebeest kill in Tanzania. A decline in the wildebeest population would impact species up and down the food chain. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. A regional case against the construction of a proposed road through Serengeti National Park has moved to trial after a judge with the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) threw out concerns by Tanzania reports the Daily Nation. The government of Tanzania has proposed a controversial highway that would bifurcate the northern part of the Serengeti National, only to see their plans stalled by a lawsuit filed by the Kenyan-based NGO, Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW), which argues that the road could have massive consequences for the entire Serengeti ecosystem, a view shared by many scientists. &#8220;The court has jurisdiction to hear environment disputes which directly affect the ecosystem and touch on the sustainable utilization of the natural resources, including terrestrial ecosystems,&#8221; Judge James Ogola said in his ruling, essentially tossing out Tanzania&#8217;s argument that the issue was a national one, and not regional. Scientists say the road project will significantly harm the world&#8217;s largest migration. A 2011 study found that the wildebeest herd, which currently numbers over a million, could be cut down by a third. Such a loss would ripple through the ecosystem affecting populations of many of the plains&#8217; species, including big predators. In addition, a leaked government study estimated that by 2015, 800 vehicles per day would cross the proposed 30 mile (50 kilometer) stretch of the park.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2012/03/legal-case-against-serengeti-road-moves-forward/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/03/legal-case-against-serengeti-road-moves-forward/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-31150</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Richard Leakey: &#8216;selfish&#8217; critics choose wrong fight in Serengeti road</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/07/richard-leakey-selfish-critics-choose-wrong-fight-in-serengeti-road/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/07/richard-leakey-selfish-critics-choose-wrong-fight-in-serengeti-road/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jul 2011 18:16:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/07/richard-leakey-selfish-critics-choose-wrong-fight-in-serengeti-road/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Developing Countries, Development, Environment, Environmental Heroes, Green, Infrastructure, Mammals, Migration, Parks, Politics, Population, Poverty, Poverty Alleviation, Protected Areas, Roads, Savannas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[To read more about Tanzania&#8217;s recent announcement related to the Serengeti road: Unpaved road through Serengeti to progress. The controversial Serengeti road is going ahead, but with conditions. According to the Tanzanian Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ezekiel Maige, the road will not be paved and it will be run by the Tanzanian park [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[To read more about Tanzania&#8217;s recent announcement related to the Serengeti road: Unpaved road through Serengeti to progress. The controversial Serengeti road is going ahead, but with conditions. According to the Tanzanian Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ezekiel Maige, the road will not be paved and it will be run by the Tanzanian park authority who will have the power to monitor traffic to &#8216;ensure no harm comes to the wildlife population&#8217;. Critics argue that even an unpaved road would eventually cripple the largest land migration in the world. However, famed Kenyan conservationist, ex-politician, and anthropologist, Richard Leakey, told mongabay.com that critics of the road are focusing on the wrong fight while failing to respect Tanzania&#8217;s right to develop. Leakey says that instead of attempting to stop the road from being built, which he believes is inevitable, critics should instead focus on funding a truly wildlife-friendly road. &#8220;I am not celebrating the ministers statement because I really think we missed an opportunity to be creative and come up with a road that serves the wildlife migration and development needs of this part of Tanzania,&#8221; Leakey says, adding that &#8220;It could have been a showcase for the rest of Africa and the world.&#8221; Leakey has long argued that the road proposal doesn&#8217;t have to be about either conservation or development, but must include both. A true Renaissance man, in conservation circles Leakey is known for his bold, incorruptible leadership as the first director of the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/07/richard-leakey-selfish-critics-choose-wrong-fight-in-serengeti-road/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/07/richard-leakey-selfish-critics-choose-wrong-fight-in-serengeti-road/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32317</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Unpaved road through Serengeti to progress</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/07/unpaved-road-through-serengeti-to-progress/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/07/unpaved-road-through-serengeti-to-progress/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jul 2011 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/07/unpaved-road-through-serengeti-to-progress/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Development, Environment, Green, In-situ Conservation, Infrastructure, Mammals, Migration, Parks, Politics, Protected Areas, Roads, Savannas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[To read more about Tanzania&#8217;s recent announcement related to the Serengeti road: Richard Leakey: &#8216;selfish&#8217; critics choose wrong fight in Serengeti road. After a week of confusion, the Tanzanian government has finally clarified its position on the hugely-controversial Serengeti road. The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ezekiel Maige, confirmed that a paved highway will [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[To read more about Tanzania&#8217;s recent announcement related to the Serengeti road: Richard Leakey: &#8216;selfish&#8217; critics choose wrong fight in Serengeti road. After a week of confusion, the Tanzanian government has finally clarified its position on the hugely-controversial Serengeti road. The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ezekiel Maige, confirmed that a paved highway will not be built through the northern Serengeti National Park, however the government is still planning to construct a gravel road through the park. Yet critics have long warned that even an unpaved road would open Pandora&#8217;s box: eventually commercial and population pressure would push the road to be paved, widened, and fenced leading to a collapse of the world&#8217;s largest remaining-and most famous-land migration. Two million wildebeest, zebra, and Thomson&#8217;s gazelle pass along this route in annual migration from Tanzania to Kenya. &#8220;The Serengeti road project has not been abandoned&#8230;we have just revised it. I don&#8217;t know where all this confusion comes from,&#8221; Maige told Reuters. &#8220;The project is still there without a shadow of a doubt. But the road will be unpaved, so there will be no tarmac road or highway traversing through the Serengeti National Park.&#8221; Elephants in Tanzania. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. From the minister&#8217;s statement, it at first appears that Tanzania&#8217;s road plans have undergone little material change, despite news reports (see mongabay.com&#8217;s article on the initial announcement to rescind the road) and statements out of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee Meeting. Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete, has long said the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/07/unpaved-road-through-serengeti-to-progress/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/07/unpaved-road-through-serengeti-to-progress/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32318</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How do tourists view the Serengeti?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/06/how-do-tourists-view-the-serengeti/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/06/how-do-tourists-view-the-serengeti/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jun 2011 21:29:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/06/how-do-tourists-view-the-serengeti/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Ecotourism, Environment, Green, Parks, Poaching, Population, Poverty, Protected Areas, Roads, Savannas, Tourism, Travel, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, an immense expanse of East African savanna, is a world famous tourist destination because of its plentiful megafauna, particularly the great migrating herds of wildebeest. Yet despite huge visitor numbers and the annual revenue of millions of US dollars, local poverty and increasing population continue to imperil the reserve. A [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, an immense expanse of East African savanna, is a world famous tourist destination because of its plentiful megafauna, particularly the great migrating herds of wildebeest. Yet despite huge visitor numbers and the annual revenue of millions of US dollars, local poverty and increasing population continue to imperil the reserve. A new study in mongabay.com&#8217;s open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science found that while tourists to the Serengeti overall report a high degree of satisfaction with their trip, they are concerned about the future of the ecosystem. &#8220;In East Africa tourism contributes to national budgets as well as to the management of protected areas sometimes leading to perception that parks cannot survive without tourism. Tourism revenues allow for recruitment of staff, good infrastructure and multiple management operations. Revenues also protect habitats and species indirectly in the instances where the welfare of local communities is improved, thereby counteracting incentives to pursue the economic choices that are ecologically destructive,&#8221; write the authors. Around 150,000-200,000 people visit the Serengeti each year, usually to see the wildlife. In fact, interviewing 350 visitors from around the world, the study found that 80 percent listed wildlife in general and big carnivores in particular as &#8216;very important&#8217; reason behind their visits. Over 90 percent of respondents also agreed with the statements that the Serengeti is unique in the world and one of the best places to see wildlife globally. According to the study, tourists by and large were very happy with their trip: &#8220;about&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/06/how-do-tourists-view-the-serengeti/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/06/how-do-tourists-view-the-serengeti/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32346</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Serengeti road cancelled</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/06/serengeti-road-cancelled/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/06/serengeti-road-cancelled/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jun 2011 16:03:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/06/serengeti-road-cancelled/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animals, Birds, Conservation, Environment, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Mammals, Migration, Parks, Politics, Protected Areas, Roads, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[UPDATE: Tanzania has announced it will be going ahead with a gravel road through the Serengeti. For more information: Unpaved road through Serengeti to progress and Richard Leakey: &#8216;selfish&#8217; critics choose wrong fight in Serengeti road. In what is a victory for environmentalists, scientists, tourism, and the largest land migration on Earth, the Tanzanian government [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[UPDATE: Tanzania has announced it will be going ahead with a gravel road through the Serengeti. For more information: Unpaved road through Serengeti to progress and Richard Leakey: &#8216;selfish&#8217; critics choose wrong fight in Serengeti road. In what is a victory for environmentalists, scientists, tourism, and the largest land migration on Earth, the Tanzanian government has cancelled a commercial road that would have cut through the northern portion of the Serengeti National Park. According to scientists the road would have severed the migration route of 1.5 million wildebeest and a half million other antelope and zebra, in turn impacting the entire ecosystem of the Serengeti plains. &#8220;The State Party confirms that the proposed road will not dissect the Serengeti National Park and therefore will not affect the migration and conservation values of the Property,&#8221; reads a statement from the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. A paved road, however, will be constructed close to the park boundaries: ending at Mugumu on the western side (12 kilometers from the park&#8217;s border) and Loliondo on the eastern side (57.6 kilometers from the border), allowing a slim buffer of habitat around the park. It is uncertain whether a gravel road will be constructed through the park, but if it is it will remain under the park authority TANAPA and will be used for tourists and administration says the statement. According to a recent scientific study, direct impacts from the road would have cut the wildebeest herd down by over one-third (over half&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/06/serengeti-road-cancelled/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32363</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>From the Serengeti to Lake Natron: is the Tanzanian government aiming to destroy its wildlife and lands?</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/04/from-the-serengeti-to-lake-natron-is-the-tanzanian-government-aiming-to-destroy-its-wildlife-and-lands/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/04/from-the-serengeti-to-lake-natron-is-the-tanzanian-government-aiming-to-destroy-its-wildlife-and-lands/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Apr 2011 19:13:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/04/from-the-serengeti-to-lake-natron-is-the-tanzanian-government-aiming-to-destroy-its-wildlife-and-lands/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, China, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Developing Countries, Development, Ecological Beauty, Economics, Ecotourism, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Global Environmental Crisis, Governance, Grasslands, Green, In-situ Conservation, Lakes, Mammals, Migration, Mining, Mountains, Natural Resources, Parks, Politics, Population, Poverty, Poverty Alleviation, Predators, Primates, Protected Areas, Roads, Tourism, Tropical Forests, Wetlands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Thousands of lesser flamingoes (Phoenicopterus minor) crowd in Lake Bogoria in Kenya. Nearly all of these flamingoes will breed in Tanzania&#8217;s Lake Natron, now a proposed site for soda ash mining. Photo by: Steve Garvie. What&#8217;s happening in Tanzania? This is a question making the rounds in conservation and environmental circles. Why is a nation [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Thousands of lesser flamingoes (Phoenicopterus minor) crowd in Lake Bogoria in Kenya. Nearly all of these flamingoes will breed in Tanzania&#8217;s Lake Natron, now a proposed site for soda ash mining. Photo by: Steve Garvie. What&#8217;s happening in Tanzania? This is a question making the rounds in conservation and environmental circles. Why is a nation that has so much invested in its wild lands and wild animals willing to pursue projects that appear destined not only to wreak havoc on the East African nation&#8217;s world-famous wildlife and ecosystems, but to cripple its economically-important tourism industry? The most well known example is the proposed road bisecting Serengeti National Park, which scientists, conservationists, the UN, and foreign governments alike have condemned. But there are other concerns among conservationists, including the fast-tracking of soda ash mining in East Africa&#8217;s most important breeding ground for millions of lesser flamingo, and the recent announcement to nullify an application for UNESCO Heritage Status for a portion of Tanzania&#8217;s Eastern Arc Mountains, a threatened forest rich in species found no-where else. According to President Jakaya Kikwete, Tanzania is simply trying to provide for its poorest citizens (such as communities near the Serengeti and the Eastern Arc Mountains) while pursuing western-style industrial development. &#8220;We have to develop to an industrialized country and to get there we should think through, plan and put strategies in place. Unlike other countries which are forced to import raw materials, our country has all the raw materials necessary for developing our industries,&#8221; Kikwete&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/04/from-the-serengeti-to-lake-natron-is-the-tanzanian-government-aiming-to-destroy-its-wildlife-and-lands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/04/from-the-serengeti-to-lake-natron-is-the-tanzanian-government-aiming-to-destroy-its-wildlife-and-lands/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32674</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Serengeti road project opposed by &#8216;powerful&#8217; tour company lobby</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/serengeti-road-project-opposed-by-powerful-tour-company-lobby/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/serengeti-road-project-opposed-by-powerful-tour-company-lobby/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Mar 2011 22:57:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/03/serengeti-road-project-opposed-by-powerful-tour-company-lobby/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Development, Environment, Governance, Grasslands, Green, In-situ Conservation, Mammals, Migration, Parks, Protected Areas, Roads, Tourism, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Government plans to build a road through Serengeti National Park came up against more opposition this week as the Tanzanian Association of Tour Operators (Tato) came out against the project, reports The Citizen. Tato, described as powerful local lobby group by the Tanzanian media, stated that the road would hurt tourism and urged the government [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Government plans to build a road through Serengeti National Park came up against more opposition this week as the Tanzanian Association of Tour Operators (Tato) came out against the project, reports The Citizen. Tato, described as powerful local lobby group by the Tanzanian media, stated that the road would hurt tourism and urged the government to select a proposed alternative route that would by-pass the park. Tato&#8217;s opposition may signal a shift to more local criticism of the road as opposition against the project has come mostly from international environmentalists, scientists, and governments. &#8220;The proposed road would pass through the ecologically fragile section of the park which is also a migratory route for animals,&#8221; Tato executive secretary Mustapha Akunaay told The Citizen. &#8220;Eventually this will lead to dropping number of tourists visiting the area, a situation that will certainly impact on the economy.&#8221; Akunaay also criticized the government for only ordering an environmental impact assessment (EIA) after they had approved the road Scientists say the road project will significantly harm the world&#8217;s largest migration. A recent study found that the wildebeest herd, which currently numbers over a millions, could be cut down by a third. A loss in the herd would ripple through the ecosystem affecting populations of many of the plains&#8217; species, including big predators. A leaked government study estimated that by 2015, 800 vehicles per day would cross the proposed 30 mile (50 kilometer) stretch of the park. By 2035, the number of vehicles per day is expected&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/serengeti-road-project-opposed-by-powerful-tour-company-lobby/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/serengeti-road-project-opposed-by-powerful-tour-company-lobby/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32811</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>First International Serengeti Day hopes to halt road project</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/first-international-serengeti-day-hopes-to-halt-road-project/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/first-international-serengeti-day-hopes-to-halt-road-project/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Feb 2011 22:11:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/02/first-international-serengeti-day-hopes-to-halt-road-project/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animals, Conservation, Development, Environment, Governance, Grasslands, Green, Mammals, Migration, Protected Areas, Roads, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Migrating wildebeest and zebra. Photo by: Jan Martin McGuire. On March 19th the conservation organization, Serengeti Watch, is planning the world&#8217;s first International Serengeti Day to celebrate one of the world&#8217;s most treasured wildlife ecosystems. But the day also has another goal: bring attention to a Tanzanian government plan to build a road that would [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Migrating wildebeest and zebra. Photo by: Jan Martin McGuire. On March 19th the conservation organization, Serengeti Watch, is planning the world&#8217;s first International Serengeti Day to celebrate one of the world&#8217;s most treasured wildlife ecosystems. But the day also has another goal: bring attention to a Tanzanian government plan to build a road that would essentially cut the ecosystem, threatening the world&#8217;s largest mammal migration. &#8220;The proposed road will be a major commercial route that cuts across a narrow stretch of the Park near the border with Kenya. It goes through a wilderness zone critical to the annual migration of 1.3 million wildebeest and 0.7 million zebras, antelope, and other wildlife. This will involve extracting a strip of land from the Park itself, resulting in both the fragmentation of the ecosystem and the removal of the Serengeti National Park from the list of UN World Heritage Sites,&#8221; said David Blanton, co-founder of Serengeti Watch, in an interview with mongabay.com. Along with the UN, scientists, conservationists, tourists, and even tourism companies, have all decried the plan to build a road that would bisect the northern end of Serengeti National Park. Warnings that the road would end the migration were borne out by a scientific study recently that found the wildebeest population would likely drop by 35%. A leaked government report also found that the road project would &#8216;limit&#8217; the migration with impacts rippling down to the Serengeti&#8217;s big predators. Yet, still the Tanzanian government appears set on building the road—despite an&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/first-international-serengeti-day-hopes-to-halt-road-project/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/first-international-serengeti-day-hopes-to-halt-road-project/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32924</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Leaked government study: road will damage Serengeti wildlife, despite president&#8217;s assurances</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/leaked-government-study-road-will-damage-serengeti-wildlife-despite-presidents-assurances/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/leaked-government-study-road-will-damage-serengeti-wildlife-despite-presidents-assurances/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Feb 2011 21:20:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/02/leaked-government-study-road-will-damage-serengeti-wildlife-despite-presidents-assurances/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Development, Endangered Species, Environment, Governance, Green, Mammals, Poverty, Poverty Alleviation, Roads, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Tanzania&#8217;s President, Jakaya Kikwete, today gave promises that his proposed road project, which will bisect the Serengeti plains, would not hurt one of the world&#8217;s most famed parks and one of its last great land migrations. &#8220;The Serengeti is a jewel of our nation as well as for the international community. […] We will do [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Tanzania&#8217;s President, Jakaya Kikwete, today gave promises that his proposed road project, which will bisect the Serengeti plains, would not hurt one of the world&#8217;s most famed parks and one of its last great land migrations. &#8220;The Serengeti is a jewel of our nation as well as for the international community. […] We will do nothing to hurt the Serengeti and we would like the international community to know this,&#8221; Kikwete said in a statement reported by the AFP. However, a government environment impact study, leaked to the conservation organization Serengeti Watch, paints a very different picture of how the road will damage the Serengeti. The report includes warnings that the road will &#8216;limit&#8217; the migration of the plains&#8217; 1.5 million wildebeest and 500,000 other herbivores including zebra. Female lion guards a wildebeest kill in Tanzania. A leaked government study warns that a proposed road project would hurt the Serengeti&#8217;s big predator species. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Under the heading: &#8220;Loss of unique value of the Serengeti&#8221; the report reads &#8220;the migration may be limited by the high level of traffic that will disrupt [it]. […] This is a major concern that has caused a lot of publicity for the NMKTL road project. It is argued that only will the wildebeest be affected but the animals that prey on them will also be impacted if the migration is disrupted&#8221;. In other words, not only will wildebeest suffer from the road project—a recent scientific study found that the herd will&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/leaked-government-study-road-will-damage-serengeti-wildlife-despite-presidents-assurances/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/leaked-government-study-road-will-damage-serengeti-wildlife-despite-presidents-assurances/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-32975</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Scientists: road through Serengeti would likely end wildebeest migration</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/scientists-road-through-serengeti-would-likely-end-wildebeest-migration/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/scientists-road-through-serengeti-would-likely-end-wildebeest-migration/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Feb 2011 21:47:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/02/scientists-road-through-serengeti-would-likely-end-wildebeest-migration/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Development, Environment, Green, Mammals, Migration, Parks, Protected Areas, Roads, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new study finds that a proposed road cutting through Serengeti National Park would likely have devastating consequences for one of the world&#8217;s last great migrations. According to the study the road itself could lead to a 35% loss in the famed park&#8217;s migrating wildebeest herd, essentially cutting the herd down by over half a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new study finds that a proposed road cutting through Serengeti National Park would likely have devastating consequences for one of the world&#8217;s last great migrations. According to the study the road itself could lead to a 35% loss in the famed park&#8217;s migrating wildebeest herd, essentially cutting the herd down by over half a million animals. Despite such concerns, and the availability of an alternative route that would bypass the Serengeti plains altogether, the Tanzanian government has stated it is going ahead with the controversial road. &#8220;This project has the potential to transform one of the greatest wonders in the world and one of the world&#8217;s most iconic national parks,&#8221; said John Fryxell, an integrative biology professor at the University of Guelph and author on the study, in a press release. The study, published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE, looked solely at the direct consequence of the road, i.e. fragmenting the wildebeest&#8217;s habitat. While the authors state that the road itself may not stop the migration, &#8220;there are reasons to believe, however, that as road traffic increases, fences and development might follow, eventually rendering a simple road project into a de facto barrier.&#8221; The outcome may even be worse than the study predicts, as it does consider other possible impacts on the herd, including vehicle collisions with the animals, increased illegal hunting, and more development within the park. But the road won&#8217;t just impact the wildebeest. &#8220;The wildebeest migration plays an important role in a number of key&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/scientists-road-through-serengeti-would-likely-end-wildebeest-migration/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/02/scientists-road-through-serengeti-would-likely-end-wildebeest-migration/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-33015</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>World Bank offers to save Serengeti from bisecting road</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/world-bank-offers-to-save-serengeti-from-bisecting-road-2/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/world-bank-offers-to-save-serengeti-from-bisecting-road-2/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jan 2011 20:05:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hancejeremy-hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2015/07/world-bank-offers-to-save-serengeti-from-bisecting-road-2/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Serengeti and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The World Bank has offered to help fund an alternative route for a planned road project that would otherwise cut through Tanzania&#8217;s world famous Serengeti National Park, according to the German-based NGO Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). When announced last year, the road project raised protests from environmentalists, scientists, and Tanzanian tour companies, but [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The World Bank has offered to help fund an alternative route for a planned road project that would otherwise cut through Tanzania&#8217;s world famous Serengeti National Park, according to the German-based NGO Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). When announced last year, the road project raised protests from environmentalists, scientists, and Tanzanian tour companies, but the Tanzanian government refused to shift plans to an alternative southern route for the road, thereby bypassing the park. According to NABU, however, the World Bank may be preparing to settle the dispute. Reportedly the bank is opposed to the route that would cut through the Serengeti, and provide funding for the alternative plan. &#8220;The regular pulse of the migration is the very heartbeat that keeps the Serengeti alive,&#8221; says Dr Barbara Maas, NABU International’s Head of International Species Conservation. &#8220;Without it, it will die. The World Bank’s initiative throws a lifeline to this unique wilderness and the animals and people that depend on it.&#8221; The Serengeti is home to one of the world&#8217;s last intact migrations of large terrestrial mammals, as every year one and a half million wildebeest along with hundreds of thousands of zebras and Thomson&#8217;s gazelles brave lions, crocodile-infested rivers, and humans to migrate to seasonal grazing. Renowned East African conservationist, Richard Leakey, stated that while road may start out as a dirt track rising human populations would eventually force its expansion, which would &#8220;kill the migration&#8221;. Even without new roads, mammal populations in Africa are declining. A study last year&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/world-bank-offers-to-save-serengeti-from-bisecting-road-2/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-62463</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>World Bank offers to save Serengeti from bisecting road</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/world-bank-offers-to-save-serengeti-from-bisecting-road/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/world-bank-offers-to-save-serengeti-from-bisecting-road/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jan 2011 20:05:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/01/world-bank-offers-to-save-serengeti-from-bisecting-road/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, Serengeti, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Development, Environment, Green, Mammals, Migration, Parks, Protected Areas, Roads, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The World Bank has offered to help fund an alternative route for a planned road project that would otherwise cut through Tanzania&#8217;s world famous Serengeti National Park, according to the German-based NGO Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). When announced last year, the road project raised protests from environmentalists, scientists, and Tanzanian tour companies, but [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The World Bank has offered to help fund an alternative route for a planned road project that would otherwise cut through Tanzania&#8217;s world famous Serengeti National Park, according to the German-based NGO Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). When announced last year, the road project raised protests from environmentalists, scientists, and Tanzanian tour companies, but the Tanzanian government refused to shift plans to an alternative southern route for the road, thereby bypassing the park. According to NABU, however, the World Bank may be preparing to settle the dispute. Reportedly the bank is opposed to the route that would cut through the Serengeti, and provide funding for the alternative plan. &#8220;The regular pulse of the migration is the very heartbeat that keeps the Serengeti alive,&#8221; says Dr Barbara Maas, NABU International’s Head of International Species Conservation. &#8220;Without it, it will die. The World Bank’s initiative throws a lifeline to this unique wilderness and the animals and people that depend on it.&#8221; The Serengeti is home to one of the world&#8217;s last intact migrations of large terrestrial mammals, as every year one and a half million wildebeest along with hundreds of thousands of zebras and Thomson&#8217;s gazelles brave lions, crocodile-infested rivers, and humans to migrate to seasonal grazing. Renowned East African conservationist, Richard Leakey, stated that while road may start out as a dirt track rising human populations would eventually force its expansion, which would &#8220;kill the migration&#8221;. Even without new roads, mammal populations in Africa are declining. A study last year&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/world-bank-offers-to-save-serengeti-from-bisecting-road/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-33029</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Lion poisonings decimating vultures in Kenya</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/lion-poisonings-decimating-vultures-in-kenya/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/lion-poisonings-decimating-vultures-in-kenya/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Jan 2011 14:39:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2011/01/lion-poisonings-decimating-vultures-in-kenya/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[East Africa, Kenya, and Serengeti]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Birds, Cats, Conservation, Corporate Environmental Transgressors, Endangered Species, Environment, Green, Lions, Livestock, Parks, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It&#8217;s a common image of the African savanna: vultures flocking to a carcass on the great plains. However, a new study has found that vulture populations are plummeting in Kenya&#8217;s Masai Mara National Reserve, a part of the Serengeti plains, due to habitat loss as well as the illegal killing of lions. Increasingly farmers and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It&#8217;s a common image of the African savanna: vultures flocking to a carcass on the great plains. However, a new study has found that vulture populations are plummeting in Kenya&#8217;s Masai Mara National Reserve, a part of the Serengeti plains, due to habitat loss as well as the illegal killing of lions. Increasingly farmers and livestock owners have targeted lions and other big predators by poisoning livestock carcasses with toxic pesticides, such as Furadan. Not only illegal, such poisonings take their toll on other Serengeti wildlife, including vultures that perish after feeding on the laced carcasses. &#8220;Staggering declines in abundance were found for seven of eight scavenging raptors surveyed,&#8221; said co-author Munir Virani, director of The Peregrine Fund’s Africa-based programs, in a press release. &#8220;Better land management and a ban on certain pesticides are needed to preserve these keystone members of the scavenging community.&#8221; According to the study undertaken by the National Museums of Kenya and Princeton University in addition to the Peregrine Fund, vulture populations have fallen by up to 60 percent over 30 years. Given their findings, the study advised that three species be listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: African white-backed, Ruppell&#8217;s, and hooded vultures. Although often considered unattractive by humans, vultures play a key role in ecosystems by consuming carcasses before they decay. This role as carcass recyclers lessens the chance of diseases spreading from carcasses to humans, livestock, or other wild animals. In fact, villagers who poison carcasses to save their livestock may&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2011/01/lion-poisonings-decimating-vultures-in-kenya/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-33092</doi>				</item>
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