The Hadza is a primitive society of hunter-gatherers with no domestic animals, no stored grains for food, sheltered only by trees and caves and totally adapted to surviving the primordial environment of Serengeti. They have done just that successfully for thousands of years prior to arrival of better-known tribes such as the Maasai with their Boma huts and cattle herds encircled and protected by thorn bush fences.
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 Boyd Norton, writer, photographer and lifelong environmentalist begins his remarkable account of the seminal importance of this fragile 10.000-square-mile reserve of elemental nature in East Africa with this stunning insight about the Hadza:
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| "They have a story about the baobab tree. According to legend, it is the tree where man first was born and then, descending from it, walked upright on the earth to hunt and gather the fruits of the land. It's amazing that their legend, so close to our current knowledge of the evolution of the Homo genus, may have been passed on orally from ancient generations not far removed from those ancestors who did, indeed, descend from the tree to walk upright." |
| Is there a bi-pedal schoolchild anywhere on planet Earth who has not heard about the Serengeti plains that straddle the boundaries of modern day Kenya and Tanzania? Is there a viewer anywhere who has not thrilled at those heart stopping nature specials of a pride of lions in their hunt for the prey that sustains them, who has not chuckled over the antics of meerkats in their nervous scurryings, wondered at the stamina of a wildebeest calf who must be ready to flee predators minutes after its birth, or marveled at looming black skies pregnant with April rains that will bring green life to thirsty Serengeti? |
| Paraphrasing Beryl Markham who looked down on Serengeti from the perspective of an aviator, "...webbed with the paths of elands and wildebeest and Thomson's gazelles...trampled by thousands of zebras...marked by the spoor of hungry carnivores...with nothing as far as you can see, or walk, or ride, except grass and rocks and the animals that live there." |
| Are there sufficient reasons, one must ask, for protecting the place where the oldest living cousins of all of humanity still live just as they did when we first came down from the trees; and should we be concerned with preserving what is arguably the world's largest remaining wildlife refuge, estimated to contain over three million large animals and countless smaller animals? |
| 'Siringet' is the Maasai name for Serengeti, and it means 'endless plains'. Sad to say, this huge piece of real estate, large as the American state of Connecticut, is not endless. The effects of global warming on the delicate ecology and the nervous responses of African governments compelled to respond to the dire needs of expanding human populations are a few of the factors placing intolerable stresses on Serengeti. |
| Boyd Norton puts it this way, "As I write this, the Tanzanian government is considering building a high-speed commercial highway, slicing like a knife wound across the northern part of Serengeti National Park. As a developing nation, Tanzania is working to improve its infrastructure with improved roads and highways. But hundreds of scientists and researchers have warned that this particular highway could have severe impact on the animal migration of millions of animals and greatly increase poaching of such vulnerable species as elephants and rhinos." |
| This vast movement of giant herds of grass eaters and the carnivores that rely on them is an incredible spectacle that attracts $ 1 billion annually in tourism income to Tanzania, and the migration would be impacted with incalculable results to the animal populations. Alternate routes for the highway that do not impact the migration have been proposed by alarmed international planners, and German environmental groups have been rumored to have offered to pay for the additional cost of re-directing the highway. However, regardless of international pressure, the African government seems adamant in proceeding with construction. |
| Nevertheless, Norton summarizes his wake-up call, "I'm cautiously optimistic that this threat will be halted. But in the future, more may arise. Burgeoning population is already pressing in on all sides of the Serengeti ecosystem. It will take diligence and dedication to keep Serengeti free and wild." To that end, Norton and David Blanton, noted expert on cross-cultural aspects of tourism, have founded and direct Serengeti Watch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the long-term preservation of the Serengeti ecosystem. |
| But, Boyd Norton's book, "Serengeti: The Eternal Beginning" is not a diatribe against threats to one of the planet's treasures. It is an indirect warning underscored by personal and moving accounts of his experiences over a period of decades in getting to know the hidden corners of Serengeti and its inhabitants, both animal and human, urging you to decide for yourself if they are worth saving—all brilliantly illustrated with his remarkable photographs. |
His conservation interests are worldwide in scope, and he has been documenting the world's wild places and environmental issues for 40 years. He has played a leading role in the establishment of several wilderness areas in the Rocky Mountains, new national parks in Alaska, and in the designation of Siberia’s Lake Baikal as a World Heritage Site. He has served on the Board of Trustees for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, devoted to saving the last mountain gorillas.
Among numerous accolades, he received an award from the Environmental Protection Agency, presented to him by Robert Redford, for his "important, exciting environmental photography and writing". Outdoor Photography Magazine (U.K.) recently selected him as one of the 40 most influential photographers in the world.
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So, are you willing to help?
| Romar Traveler is proud to recommend that you read "Serengeti: The Eternal Beginning" as a start. Then go there to see Serengeti for yourself. We promise it will be the trip of a lifetime. The editors speak from personal experience. Getting there is not cheap, but taking yourself--and the youngsters in your family along--will be a binding adventure all of you will never forget. So, put off purchasing that new four-wheeled artifact of cluttered civilization--or whatever gadget that you know instinctively will not really add to your appreciation of life on this wondrous planet--and go. |
Serengeti Watch is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the long-term protection of the entire Serengeti ecosystem. For more on the mission statement and activities of this organization go to:
www.savetheserengeti.org
The Facebook page Stop the Serengeti Highway has tens of thousands of followers. Important information is posted here daily, and you can participate in discussions.
Norton tries to keep a flow of information going on his own blog and website, and you may offer comments and information as well. He posts new photos and videos of interest frequently.
Blog: : http://thewildernessphotography.blogspot.com/
Website: www.wildernessphotography.com
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