Spanning over 1.5 million hectares in Tanzania, Serengeti National Park is one of the most impressive natural areas in the world. This precious ecosystem is home to abundant wildlife such as lions, leopards, elephants, and the black rhino.
Visitors from across the globe flock to this UNESCO World Heritage Site to see the wildlife and take in the sublime landscape. For local communities in Tanzania, the Serengeti is a valued place and source of pride.
Unfortunately, the Serengeti and adjacent protected areas are under growing threat from trophy hunting and climate change, both of which are negatively impacting local wildlife, leading many species to become critically endangered.
For example, only 415,000 elephants call Africa home today, down from 10 million in 1930. In 1970 it was estimated that 65,000 black rhinos lived across the continent, and today less than 5,500 remain.
Adding insult to injury, the Tanzanian government has plans to build a highway cutting directly across Serengeti National Park. The highway would be detrimental to wildlife, as it would prohibit their essential annual migration to permanent watering holes.
That’s why the Serengeti Preservation Foundation is taking action to protect this precious ecosystem for future generations. Their focus? Investing in those who will inherit it: the children.
The Serengeti Preservation Foundation works in local schools, educating youth about the pressing environmental challenges faced by the Serengeti. The children are taught to plant trees around their homes, and as a reward for their efforts, the group brings the children into the park to discover their own wild backyard and visit the wildlife.
Global Greengrants Fund is a proud supporter of the Serengeti Preservation Foundation. Through our partnership with Earth Island Institute, we have awarded nine grants totaling $45,000 to the group. This funding has supported the children’s education program, a radio program for Maasai communities linking traditional values with modern conservation, and helping local women with sustainable livelihood projects.
The Serengeti Preservation Foundation knows that human rights and biodiversity conservation are deeply intertwined, and we’re hopeful that this holistic approach will ensure the survival of this ecosystem for many future generations.