Serengeti General Management Plan

Serengeti National Park General Management Plan
a long list of rules and regulations is often intimidating and difficult for visitors to internalise
during the short period of time that they spend in the Park. Therefore, a basic Code of Conduct
for the Serengeti has been established (see box over page), which encapsulates the
park regulations through a few general behavioural characteristics expected of visitors. Following
these few simple behavioural characteristics should naturally lead to compliance with
the park regulations.
As with the Zoning Scheme and prescriptions outlined in Action 1.1.1, it will be necessary to
ensure that all park users are made aware of the Code of Conduct. This management action
will concentrate on making sure that park staff, tour operators and drivers understand the
Code of Conduct, the underlying park rules and regulations, and the requirement that they
set an example to visitors. Action 1.1.3 outlines steps to ensure the dissemination of information
explaining the Code of Conduct, alongside raising awareness about the SENAPA Zoning
Scheme.
Action 1.1.3: Produce and widely disseminate information explaining the Zoning
Scheme and Code of Conduct to park users
Visitors will only follow the Zoning Scheme’s tourism prescriptions and Code of Conduct if
they are made aware of them. This management action will make sure all park visitors are
aware of these guidelines, through producing and distributing simple and understandable information
materials, which includes a SENAPA map and summarises and explains the Zoning
Scheme tourism prescriptions and the Code of Conduct. These materials will include
posters that will be displayed at Park gates, accommodation facilities and other strategic and
visible places. Leaflets will also be produced for distribution by tour operators/ concessionaires
to their clients as well as by SENAPA staff at entrance gates. These leaflets will contain
a map of SENAPA.
Target 1.2: Tourism access and use diversified in appropriate ways,
in order to expand SENAPA tourism attractions and minimise overuse
of existing attractions
As stated under Target 1.1, much of the visitor activity occurring in the Park is centred on the
Seronera Valley and a few other key areas where the main attractions and facilities are located.
As a consequence, these popular areas are suffering negative environmental impacts
from overuse. Target 1.1 will address this problem through restricting and setting limits to
visitor activities and use. This management target will diversify tourist activities away from
the high use areas. This will firstly reduce pressure on the High Use Zone, and secondly,
provide an improved and more diverse visitor experience covering more of the Park.
Figure D.2 below (under Objective 4), shows a continuing upward trend in visitor numbers to
the Serengeti in the past eight years. The marked increase in projected numbers for 2004/5
indicates that this upward trend is unlikely to slow down in the short term. In response, the
dispersal of visitors to other areas of the Park is required, through providing amenities such
as visitor centres; balloon operations; off-road driving; non-vehicle-based activities, such as
walking safaris; and an improved and expanded game-viewing road network.
The full range of permissible tourist activities by zone that will be offered within the Serengeti
during the implementation of this GMP are listed for Target 1.1 in Table D.1 above. The following
management actions have been formulated to meet Management Target 1.2:
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