Serengeti General Management Plan
Serengeti General Management Plan
Serengeti General Management Plan
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Diversification of tourism will be achieved, in part, through the development of tourism sinks<br />
in the High and Low Use Zones. These sinks will be designated areas where visitors can get<br />
out of their vehicles to undertake a specific activity; such as a short guided walk on a designated<br />
trail, viewing a cultural site, or lunch at a picnic site or water-bird viewing point. Overnight<br />
walking safaris will be piloted in the Wilderness Zone, and a walking safari scheme<br />
will be elaborated by TANAPA, TATO and the SENAPA Resource Protection Department<br />
during the first year of GMP implementation.<br />
Another key strategy to achieving a world class and environmentally responsible tourism experience<br />
in the <strong>Serengeti</strong> will be to upgrade and expand the existing SENAPA visitor facilities.<br />
These improvements will be done in close consultation with the tourism industry,<br />
with priorities being to upgrade water supply and sanitation throughout the Park and to provide<br />
accommodation appropriate to the needs and budget of local visitors, an important step<br />
in encouraging more Tanzanians to visit the <strong>Serengeti</strong>.<br />
The final focus of the Programme will be to update of SENAPA information services and administration<br />
support systems to ensure an informative and safe visit is enjoyed by all. An expanded<br />
and enhanced network of visitor interpretation facilities will be developed, including<br />
new visitor centres in strategic locations of the Park, mini-interpretation sites at selected tourism<br />
sinks, and up-to-date high quality SENAPA interpretation materials for sale and distribution.<br />
In accordance with TANAPA system-wide practices, administrative systems will be fully<br />
computerised on a wide area network with e-payment facilities at Park entrances. In addition,<br />
a new Special Campsite booking system will be piloted; aimed at ensuring high environmental<br />
standards are maintained and preventing unscrupulous tour operators block booking<br />
sites for occasional use. The new system will limit bookings at a specific campsite to a<br />
maximum of four consecutive weeks. In addition, a new category of Premium Campsites will<br />
be piloted during the GMP, which will consist of a few carefully selected sites in the High and<br />
Low Use Zones that may be booked for a season.<br />
3. Community Outreach Programme<br />
The Community Outreach Programme aims to elicit the support and collaboration of the<br />
communities surrounding SENAPA in safeguarding the integrity of SENAPA’s resource values.<br />
Proposed activities to achieve this will include scaling-up the conservation education<br />
programme to all park-adjacent districts, and improving park-community communication and<br />
cooperation.<br />
The major focus of this Programme will be to re-invigorate the Support to Community Initiated<br />
Projects (SCIP) scheme. This will involve revising the SCIP planning process to ensure<br />
that all current and future SCIP projects address both community development needs (especially<br />
of marginalised groups) and ecosystem conservation priorities. Two key areas for future<br />
support are prioritised: firstly, the identification and establishment of conservationfriendly<br />
income generating activities and secondly, the mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts.<br />
Linked to this will be the provision of support for community-based national resource management<br />
in the SENAPA buffer areas.<br />
4. Park Operations Programme<br />
The Park Operations Programme aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of<br />
SENAPA park operations, such that SENAPA becomes a role model nationally and internationally.<br />
The GMP problem analysis identified poaching as the priority management issue to<br />
be addressed by this Programme. In response, SENAPA management will investigate and<br />
pilot new anti-poaching techniques; re-equip the Protection Department with the necessary<br />
modern equipment; build ranger-local community cooperation and anti-poaching reward<br />
schemes; and provide training to Village Game Scouts to protect conservation areas in the<br />
SENAPA buffer areas.<br />
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