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AFRICA'S WILDLIFE HERITAGE:
Can it be Saved? The goals for global conservation as defined in The IUCN/WWF World Conservation Strategy are: To maintain essential ecological processes and life support systems To preserve genetic diversity To ensure sustainable utilization of species and ecosystems Africa's human population is now over half-a-billion people, having doubled since 1970. At current rates of increase of 2.5 to 3.5% it will redouble every 20-30 years. What hope is there that any considerable portion of the continent's matchless fauna and flora can survive in this rising sea of humanity? That is the central question this course will attempt to answer. More...  © RSCF African Elephant  © RSCF Rhino Baby in Mud | KEYNOTE SPECIES Wildebeest in the Serengeti Ecosystem Why are there so many wildebeest? What makes this antelope the keystone species of the Serengeti ecosystem? The short answer is that the wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is specialized for precisely the climatic and ecological conditions that distinguish the Serengeti arid savanna: extensive short grasslands that are highly productive during the rainy season, and taller grasslands in the woodland zone in the west and northern part of the ecosystem where wildebeest can seek green pastures and water during the long dry season. Wildebeest concentrate by the thousands and even hundreds of thousands on the Serengeti grasslands because the grasses they feed on cover the ground and enable the animals to feed close together. This is particularly true of the short-grass plains, where over 90 percent of the ground is carpeted by herbage. These are the pastures the wildebeest prefers, which it is better equipped to crop and process than other associated grazers, having flexible lips, a broad muzzle, and wide row of incisor teeth that enable it to take big bites of short grass. More...  © RSCF Wildebeest in Migration ECONOMICS OF CONSERVATION Socio-economic Importance Africa is home to more large mammals than all other continents combined. It is especially rich in hollow-horned ruminants (family Bovidae), with 75 species out of a world total of 120 species. Seventy-two of the African bovids are antelopes. Their potential as a source of food is tremendous, yet equaled or even surpassed by the African buffalo and several species of non-ruminant ungulates, notably the hippopotamus, warthog, common zebra, and until very recently, the elephant. My own primary interest in these animals lies in research on the socio-ecology of free-ranging African antelopes, and in the application of research to the conservation of African wildlife and ecosystems. The Antelope Specialist Group (ASG) of the Species Survival Commission, one of the commissions of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, is involved in a country-by-country survey of the antelopes, and in the preparation of regional conservation action plans. The concern of the ASG (of which the writer is Chairman) with the economic value of wildlife stems from the realization that wildlife conservation must yield tangible benefits to win popular support for keeping land reserved for wild animals. More...  © RSCF Wildebeest in Ngorongoro Crater |