Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu (facing
the camera) in a plenary discussion after the presentation of the 2014
Serengeti-Mara ecosystem census report.
Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu (seated
fourth right) in a group photo with the participants who attended the
launching of the 2014 Serengeti-Mara ecosystem census report.
The elephant population in the
Serengeti-Mara ecosystem has increased by 266 percent in the last 28
years. This was revealed in Arusha yesterday by the Minister for Natural
Resources and Tourism Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu during the official
announcements of the Serengeti-Mara aerial census of elephants and
buffaloes which was done between May and June this year.
Hon.
Lazaro Nyalandu disclosed that a total of 7,535 elephants were counted
in the surveyed area. This result shows increasing trend of the elephant
population from 2,058 in 1986 to 7,535 individuals in 2014.The most
recent best estimate of the population was 3,419 elephants estimated in
year 2006.
The census report revealed an increase of elephants in
the southern part of the Serengeti National Park in contrast to a
decline in the northern area of Masai Mara. The observed decrease in the
Mara suggests elephant migration into the Serengeti area where a spike
in elephant population was witnessed in this census.
The survey
covered an area of 32,000 square kilometres, as part of the long-term
ecological monitoring program. The surveyed areas included the Serengeti
National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Maswa, Ikorongo, Grumeti
and Kijereshi Game Reserves in Tanzania and Masai-Mara National Reserve
and adjacent Group Ranches in Kenya.
The census also counted a
total of 61,896 buffaloes, which is an increase of 13 percent, compared
to 54,979 buffaloes counted in 1986. Buffalo population analyses
indicate a decline from early to the mid-1990s before registering a
steady growth thereafter. This decline was attributed to poaching and a
severe drought recorded in 1993.
The 2014 Wet Season
Serengeti-Mara Aerial Census of elephants and buffaloes was done jointly
by Conservation and Research Organizations from Tanzania and Kenya,
using harmonized survey techniques as part of the long-term ecological
monitoring censuses undertaken since 1986. The censuses provided
information on seasonal abundances and distribution of elephants and
buffaloes.
Joint surveys carried out in the Serengeti-Mara
ecosystem provide useful information for conservation, policy
formulation and tourism. Such information includes identifying important
wildlife hot spots, seasonal animal distribution, wildlife abundances,
and extents of human activities within protected areas and its immediate
neighborhood.
With the changes that are affecting conservation sector today, census information is becoming increasingly important for conservation purposes especially in the face of increasing human pressure to many natural resources including wildlife.
With the changes that are affecting conservation sector today, census information is becoming increasingly important for conservation purposes especially in the face of increasing human pressure to many natural resources including wildlife.
Hon.
Nyalandu urged management authorities to use such valuable information
in their planning for sustainable conservation of wildlife resources.
The results of elephant and buffalo counts in the Serengeti-Mara
ecosystem provide the highest population estimates ever recorded in
history; a clear indication of increasing trends as a result of good
conservation practices.
Issued by Corporate Communications Department
Tanzania National Parks
P.O.Box 3134
ARUSHA
dg@tanzaniaparks.com
21st August, 2014
Tanzania National Parks
P.O.Box 3134
ARUSHA
dg@tanzaniaparks.com
21st August, 2014
0 comments:
Post a Comment