Serengeti General Management Plan

Serengeti National Park General Management Plan
Prioritisation of ecosystem components and threats
As stated in the ecosystem management strategy, SENAPA management will work to ‘maintain
all components and processes of the naturally evolving Park ecosystem’. However, due
to the inherent complexity of these natural systems, and the limited resources available, it is
not possible for the SENAPA Ecology Department to monitor and manage each individual
ecosystem component. In response, an ecosystem management planning process 3 has been
developed to identify representative ecosystem components and prioritise strategic decisions
regarding their conservation. This approach will ensure the optimal allocation of time and resources
for implementing conservation strategies to protect and monitor the long-term health
and functions of the SENAPA ecosystem. The key features and outputs of this planning process
are outlined below.
SENAPA Conservation Targets
The SENAPA Conservation Targets, listed in the box below, cover the various spatial scales
and levels of biological organisation that the ecosystem functions at; from ecological systems
and processes to individual species. Together the targets represent and encapsulate the
unique biodiversity of the Serengeti ecosystem and the components that require special
management actions. The underlying assumption behind establishing these Conservation
Targets is that, if they are truly representative, then focusing efforts on their conservation will
also ensure the conservation of all co-occurring ecosystem components and therefore the
maintenance of a healthy ecosystem. The co-occurring ecosystem species, or ‘Subsidiary
Targets’, are listed alongside the eight Conservation Targets in Table C.1 overpage.
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Conservation Targets Ecosystem Level
1. The Migration
2. Mara River
System
3. Riverine Forest
4. Acacia woodland
5. Terminalia woodland
6. Kopje habitat
7. Black rhino
8. Wild dogs
Community
Species
The final column in Table C.1 lists the Key Ecological Attributes (KEAs), which are the factors
that most clearly define or characterise each of the eight Conservation Targets. The
KEAs include factors pertaining to the Conservation Target’s biological composition, spatial
distribution, biotic and abiotic interactions and ecological connectivity. The KEAs are sensitive
to change and provide the basis for monitoring the overall health of their respective Conservation
Target. The Black rhino and Wild dog Conservation Targets have been identified
as requiring special management attention, and restoration actions are needed to bring their
KEAs within their minimum threshold level.
3 Based on The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Conservation Action Planning (CAP) process