Fragile Environments - Serengeti

Question 1

what is the serengeti

Answer 1

a savanna grassland ecosystem covering 30,000 km2 in Tanzania and south west Kenya

Question 2

what is the plant life in the serengeti

Answer 2

dominated by grasses and shrubs with occasional trees (e.g. acacia)

Question 3

what is the animal life in the serengeti

Answer 3

supports herds of grazing animals (wildebeest, zebra, buffalo) and their predators (lions, leopards, cheetahs)

Question 4

what are the four main environmental problems in the serengeti

Answer 4

• hunting and poaching
• increasing population
• fire
• invasive species

Question 5

how is hunting and poaching causing an environmental issue

Answer 5

• historically animals have been hunted by visitors for sport, also local people as source of food or products like ivory and rhino horn to sell
• 70s and 80s poaching for ivory and rhino horn was huge problem, caused black rhino in serengeti to fall to two animals
• legislation (1989 ban) on international trade of ivory has helped reduce elephant poaching but local people hunt illegally

Question 6

how is an increasing population an environmental problem

Answer 6

• human population in the Serengeti is increasing - conflicts over land use. land needed for settlements, growing crops, grazing farm animals
• natural habitats have been lost as areas of Serengeti are colonised
• increased population led to increased hunting

Question 7

how is fire an environmental problem

Answer 7

• controlled fires during dry season help sustain savanna environment
• fire prevents woodland growth, burns of dead grass leaving woodland intact, fertilises soil. new shoots grow in wet season- source of food for animals.
• but uncontrolled fires can damage trees and destroy grass roots, so grasses don’t grow back

Question 8

how are invasive species an environmental problem

Answer 8

• cause damage, e.g. the Mexican poppy which was accidentally introduced through imported wheat out-competes native plants and crops which makes some areas unsuitable for farming
• animal species can spread disease e.g. in 1994 canine distemper virus spread from domestic dogs killed a third of the population of Serengeti lions