Tarangire, Tanzania
- Tarangire, Tanzania Photo
- ©Kent Redford
The Tarangire Ecosystem covers almost 7,700 square miles and stretches from the Kenyan border into the Masai Steppe. There are two national parks in the ecosystem; Tarangire and Lake Manyara. The ecosystem supports large numbers of zebras, wildebeests, and elephants that migrate seasonally out of the protected areas to adjacent village lands. During the dry months the wildlife congregates around the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water in the area. When the rains come, the wildlife disperses to mineral-rich calving areas in the Simanjiro plains to the east and around Lake Natron to the north.
Fast Facts
- Tarangire is one of one of the best parks in Africa to see large herds of tame elephants.
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Challenges
An expanding human population is putting increasing pressure on the wildlife migration corridors and dispersal areas outside the national parks. Five of the nine main wildlife migration routes have disappeared, and the others are under increasing threat from agricultural activity. Isolation of the two parks would lead to a severe decline in wildlife populations.
WCS Responds
WCS is working with tour operators, local NGOs, and the communities around Tarangire National Park to set up conservation easements to protect the main calving grounds and migration routes in the Simanjiro plains. Two villages have agreed to set up easements that protect the land for wildlife and pastoral activities.
From the Newsroom
A team of conservationists has released three adult cheetahs, rescued from the hands of an illegal wildlife trader, into Tarangire National Park in Tanzania.
A WCS study suggests that the experience of matriarchs may help
herds survive in the age of climate change, when animals may have to contend with increasing drought