Lake Manyara Park risks extinction

BabuK

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Jul 30, 2008
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Global warming has hit particularly hard Tanzania’s national parks, threatening displacing millions of wildlife and putting the thriving tourism at risk.

Owing to global warming, currently Tanzania is likely to lose one of the key national parks in its most valuable strips of tourism real estate of northern safari circuit.

The circuit, comprisomg Lake Manyara, Tarangire and Serengeti National Parks and Ngorongoro Crater earns the country more than half of a total $1.3 billion from tourism per annum.

Water depth of the Lake Manyara, which comprises two-thirds of Manyara National Park, has shrunk 200 times since 1920s due to persistent drought, threatening the survival of the park.

Established in 1960, the second oldest after Serengeti, Lake Manyara National Park attracts over 100,000 tourists per year or nearly 10 per cent of Tanzania's annual tourist arrivals.

Conservationists say the deepness fall of the water body with 220 out of 330 sq km of the entire park is a sign of global warming in action.

Lake Manyara National Park Ecologist Yustina Kiwango says in the past the lake used to be deep enough to drown an adult human being, but now a toddler can crawl with ease across its water surface.

“Initially the lake depth had averaged at six metres but of late the
depth has been getting shallow, inching just 0.3 metres, which is over 200 times shallower than the original depth,” Kiwango explained in a report.

The reduction of the lake’s water depth was last recorded in 1923, when a major drought spell hit most parts of East and Central Africa, causing a number of rivers and lakes to dry up. The decreasing depth has also been corresponding with its fast shrinking water surface area. Siltation is bogging its depth by up to two metres.

Cradled in the glory of its surroundings bellow the sheer majesty of the Rift Valley wall, Lake Manyara lies serene, spreading in a heat haze backed by a thin green band forest and the sheer 600 metre red and brown cliffs of the escarpment.

The park is also a world-breeding site for migratory birds and has a wide variety of habitats and animals.

Among the various habitats in Lake Manyara National Park are lush groundwater forests, acacia woodlands, small grassy plains and a swampy fan delta. The park is inhabited by largest concentration of elephants,and large herds of flamingos.

The rich bird life, hippos, zebras, giraffes, antelopes, baboons,gazelles and the tree-climbing lions are some of the park's main safari attractions. The lions can be spotted resting in the boughs of acacia trees.

The lions of Lake Manyara National Park are among the only ones that climb trees. It is still a mystery why the lions of this national park spend so much time in the trees.

The acacias probably are an ideal retreat from the heat on the ground. The park offers good chances of spotting elephants. Mongooses and diminutive Kirk's dik-dik can also be seen between the acacias.

Among the bird population flamingos, are the most prominent inhabitants, but one can also spot great white pelicans, pink backed pelicans, spur winged gooses, white-breasted cormorants, and storks.

Mitigation measures Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA)’s Director General, Allan Kijazi said that in a bid to mitigate climate change’s effects, the authority is building dams and drilling boreholes within the national parks countrywide to provide additional drinking water sources for wild animals.

Besides Lake Manyara, Kijazi says the other hardest hit national parks by the global warming include Serengeti, Mkomazi, Mikumi and Saadani, where wildlife population have been migrating to human habitats scouting for water and green grass, create human-wildlife conflict and attract poachers.

“We have lost a significant number of wildlife in our national parks due to severe drought in recent years, compelling us to come up with an idea to construct water dams” he told this reporter in an
interview.

Conservationists are worried over the survival of wild animals, saying if the situation continues for five years, there could be a great loss of wildlife and a slump in tourism.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
 
Sasa wanachukua tahadhari gani au kuna jitihada gani zinazofanyika ili hilo ziwa lisikauke, maana naona ni kila wakati wanatoa taarifa hii lakini hawatoi njia mbadala za kukabiliana na kukauka kwa ziwa hilo. Hii siyo mara ya kwanza kutoa taarifa hii. TANAPA wake up and do something tangible instead of reporting and worrying about the issue everyday.:blabla:
 
Kule hakuna Njia nyingine, Tatizo ishu ilitakiwa itatuliwe mapema sana, sasa wakubwa kwa sababu haiwahusu na wao wanacho angalia ni matumbo yao tu,

Lile ziwa limekauka kwa asilimia 95 na huwa lina kauka kabisa inabakia chunvi pekee, na sababu kubwa ni hii hapa,

- Udongo wote unao sombwa kutoka kwenye mashamba ya Karatu, Mbulu na baadhi ya maeneo ya Babati unaingia kwenye ziwa na ni ishu ya Muda mrefu sana kwa sasa haitawezekana kulinusuru make TOPE LISHA JAA ZIWA

Na HAATARI KUBWA KULIKO YOTE NI HILI ZIWA KUJA KUSABABISHA MAFURIKO MAKUBWA KUWAHI KUONEKANA KWENYE HISTORIA YA TANZANIA, Make kwa sasa hakuna sehemu ya maji kukaa so zikitokea Mvua za miezi kama mi nne mfululizo kutatokea maafa makubwa sana kwenye Mji wa MTO WA MBU
 
Hivi haiwezekani kulichimba upya na kurejesha hali ya zamani bila kuathiri mazingira?
 
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