Proximate causes and risks of illegal grazing in Serengeti National Park: Perceptions of livestock keepers

Ensuring the sustainability of protected areas for biodiversity conservation is a global issue that requires urgent attention for better conservation outcomes. Serengeti National Park (SNP) is a major tourist destination in Tanzania and offers diverse and spectacular wildlife attractions. The park is also a World Heritage Site, and there is no provision for legal grazing within the park. Understanding the proximate causes of illegal grazing of livestock in SNP and the perception of livestock keepers of the risks taken are critical to planning effective and sustainable mitigation strategies. This study used a semi-structured questionnaire to investigate the proximate causes of livestock grazing in the park and the perceptions of livestock keepers about the risks undertaken. We found that insufficient pasturage and water for cattle in the areas of stay, and the large number of cattle competing for common pasturage are perceived by the respondents as the proximate causes of livestock transgression into SNP. In addition to this, the free-range grazing system in Tanzania, the lack of land use plans, and climate change may be the main reasons for the decrease of pastures and the scarcity of water in the respondents areas and, therefore, lead to livestock transgression into SNP for supplementary forage and water. Furthermore, the results indicate that regardless of the number of cattle that the livestock keepers own, the majority fear being arrested inside the park by law enforcement patrols (wildlife rangers). However, most of Large Herders and Very Large Herders do not fear dangerous wild animals that might attack them or their livestock because they have different mechanisms of defense. We recommend that the responsible authorities consider revising the existing policy and promote more intensive livestock husbandry that encourages the management of pastures for livestock, emphasizes land use plans, and constructs farm dams and ponds for livestock keepers on the village land to increase retention by catchment and retention of rainy season water.